Theresa May outlines 'shared society' vision to tackle 'everyday injustices'

The prime minister has outlined her vision for a "shared society" to tackle "burning injustices" faced by those who feel they have been ignored by Westminster.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph (£), Theresa May wrote: "It goes to the heart of my belief that there is more to life than individualism and self-interest."

She added that helping those who are "just about managing" is a key goal of her government and promised a significant shift in the way it tackles inequality.

Mrs May said that previous administrations had focused too narrowly on the very poorest through the welfare system, while people just above the welfare threshold felt the system was "stacked against them".

She will give a major speech on social reform on Monday, the first of a series of interventions on domestic policy over the coming weeks.

The speech will focus on people living just above the welfare threshold. Credit: PA

In her mission statement, Mrs May is expected emphasise that the state has a significant role to play in helping shape a "shared society"

It will be a stark departure from her Tory predecessors Margaret Thatcher - who once declared "there is no such thing as society" and David Cameron, whose Big Society agenda relied on voluntary organisations rather than state intervention.

Mrs May will say:

  • Brexit "was a quiet revolution"

Theresa May said that Brexit was a 'quiet revolution' by the disaffected. Credit: PA

In her Sunday Telegraph article, Mrs May also said the Brexit vote signalled that people wanted to see pivotal changes to how the country works.

"When the British people voted in the referendum last June, they did not simply vote to withdraw from the European Union; they voted to change the way our country works – and the people for whom it works – forever."

“It was a quiet revolution by those who feel the system has been stacked against them for too long – and an instruction to this Government to seize the opportunity of building a stronger, fairer Britain that works for everyone, not just a privileged few.”