AN IMPASSIONED attack on the Government to meet basic human and civil rights was made in York today by the Prime Minister's father-in-law, veteran actor and Labour campaigner Tony Booth.

Speaking at a conference on the subject of free nursing care for the elderly, Mr Booth called for action by trade union members to rein in the Labour Government.

He said: "Unions were created for the good of the people and from their hard work and courage. The Labour Party was created from the same.

"Now it is time for us to reclaim it. The Labour Party belongs to its membership, not to its leadership." Mr Booth also called on the Government to provide basic human and civil rights, demanding that Britain should provide necessary services for all its citizens.

He said: "It is too easy for old campaigners to be castigated as dinosaurs, but all we want are basic human rights.

"Free further education for all, irrelevant of income. Free health service for all and no more hunger.

"No more poverty - too many elderly people are living this way every day in this country.

"We are the fourth richest country in the world, but basic human rights are still a struggle every day."

The conference, attended by delegates from Age Concern, the National Pensioners' Convention and the public service union Unison, had earlier heard York MP Hugh Bayley defend government policy on care for the elderly.

He said: "To provide free nursing care for all is to subsidise the rich at the expense of the poor.

"This is to concentrate on quantity of service rather than on quality of care.

"We should not support spending money on one area at the expense of the others."

Updated: 15:11 Wednesday, May 14, 2003