Harman launches fresh fairness push

A national equality panel, made up of academic experts, will give the Government an analysis of progress over the past decade and map out areas where improvements need to be made.

It will be chaired by academic Professor John Hills and will investigate how people's life chances are affected by gender, race, disability, age and other important aspects of inequality such as where they were born, what kind of family they were born into, where they live and their wealth.

Speaking at the TUC Congress in Brighton, Ms Harman said: "Equality matters more than ever and it is necessary for individuals, a peaceful society and a strong economy. We have made great progress on tackling inequality but we know that inequality doesn't just come from your gender, race, sexual orientation or disability. What overarches all of these is where you live, your family background, your wealth and social class.

"While we have helped millions of people over the last 10 years through policies like Sure Start, tax credits and the national minimum wage, we want to do more. To advance equality through our public policy, we need clarity of evidence and focus on the gaps in society and how they have changed over the last 10 years."

Ms Harman accused the Conservatives of "sidling up" to trade unionists, "lurking around" equality campaigns and "fawning over" women's groups.

"They are a false friend of equality and fairness. David Cameron wants women for one thing and one thing only - their votes. The Tories have always acted against equality, Labour has always striven for equality."

Schools Secretary Ed Balls later called for wider participation in higher education, following debate on the duty of elite universities to attract students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"Children of all backgrounds need to be familiar with university not fear it," he said.

"They need to feel university is for them, so that we ensure they achieve their potential and use their talent."