Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid has warned Britain’s Labour party to prepare for a battle within its own ranks over its plans for public service reform.
Dr Reid said Labour had overcome many challenges to earn the trust of the public and form a Government, but that hard choices still had to be made.
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Dr John Reid
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In a speech to the Scottish Labour Party conference in Perth today, Dr Reid said improving public services was the Government's "third great objective".
But he warned that division over how Labour goes about carrying out those improvements could be fatal.
Dr Reid said: "We have been chosen by the people to govern. Government means hard choices.
"It doesn't get any easier for us. But it has got a little easier for millions of people we represent precisely because we were not afraid to make those choices.
"So we're not afraid of debate, nor of hard choices. But we also know that if debate can be healthy, division can be fatal."
The conference has seen three major unions rebelling over plans to use private funding for public sector projects.
PA