Social Security

I am sure that the hon. Lady will accept two things. First, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney has made it clear that we will engage in patient long-term policy work, and our position will certainly be clear after 18 months. Secondly, it is not a question of not knowing; what we do know is that we do not indulge in the knee-jerk reactions and grab-a-headline policy making on the hoof, which, I am afraid, is the distinguishing hallmark of Labour Ministers over eight years and the Liberal Democrats. What is refreshing about the new Leader of the Opposition is that he has stamped his mark on a host of issues by saying, ““Listen, we’re going to think outside the box and think afresh. We’re going to deliver solutions not just for the next week or the next 12 months, but for a whole Parliament.”” If Ministers can be a bit patient and listen to what we will say, openly, in our policy commissions, they might learn something. They have had eight years in which to come up with a long-term solution and to think the unthinkable, and all that they have come up with is sacking the people who think the unthinkable and—