May says she will fight 'everyday injustice'

Theresa May has promised government action to ensure the system works for ordinary people, as she set out her vision for a 'shared society'.

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during an address to members of the Charity Commision. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Prime Minister took aim at politicians of the recent past who hailed the advance of liberalisation and globalisation while dismissing “legitimate” public concerns about the “unfairness and division” that resulted.

Their approach had fuelled the rise of extremist political groups on the right and left, which feed on resentment and despair among people who are “just about managing” in the face of job insecurity, stagnating wages and unaffordable housing, she said.

In one of the fullest statements of her political philosophy since her arrival in 10 Downing Street last July, Mrs May promised that her administration would offer a “mainstream centre-ground” solution to the “everyday injustices” suffered by ordinary working-class families who had been ignored for too long by Westminster.

She said her government would fight the “cult of individualism” that she claimed undermines communities. Signalling a more interventionist approach, Mrs May said government has “a clear role to play” to nurture strong relationships within society and to correct “everyday injustices”.