The charity sector is essential to tackling some of the most serious problems in Britain, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, has told a third sector reception at the party’s conference in Brighton.
Miliband was speaking last night at a reception organised by the chief executives body Acevo and the trade union Community.
"I had the privilege of being the minister for the third sector, and it is the third sector that makes change happen," he said. The country faces problems such as delivering services, doing more with less and restoring people's faith in the political system, said Miliband.
"The only way we can surmount those challenges is by involving the third sector in meeting them," he said.
Miliband, who will address the conference this afternoon, told the reception the sector was "absolutely essential" to tackling key problems such as mental health, and was "crucial to the future of one nation and the future of Britain".