Catholic Union Deputy Director, James Somerville-Meikle, writes:
Rishi Sunak mentioned “family” 17 times in his speech at the Conservative Party Conference this week. He was introduced on stage by his wife, Akshata, and began his speech with a glowing tribute to his parents.
In perhaps the most personal speech he has made since becoming Prime Minister, he said: “We should never be afraid to talk about the thing that matters most to most of us, family.” Talking about family is an important first step. But a year into taking office, and less than a year before the next General Election, people want to see what support for families looks like in practice.
There are no shortage of options for the Prime Minister to consider. Whether it’s making our tax system fairer for families, scrapping policies like the two-child cap on benefits, or giving parents greater choice over where and how their children are educated. These are policies that the Catholic Union has consistently championed.
With Labour’s party conference this weekend, Sir Keir Starmer has the chance to set out what a Labour Government would do to support family life. It’s vital that politicians from all parties understand the importance of families for Catholics and wider society.