Duncan Smith aims to slay 'five giants'

Iain Duncan Smith will set out his policy agenda for the Conservative Party today, promising to improve the lives of hard-working people who "do the right thing."

In a speech marking his first anniversary as Tory leader, he will try to supplant Labour as the party of the welfare state by switching the Tories' focus to improving people's quality of life rather than their standard of living.

Starting at their annual conference next month, the Tories will unveil policies designed to slay the "five giants" in Britain today – failing schools; crime; sub-standard health care; child poverty and insecurity in old age. The pledge is a deliberate echo of the "five giants" named by William Beveridge, the architect of the welfare state in the 1940 – want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness.

In his speech at Toynbee Hall in east London, Mr Duncan Smith will argue that today's five giants have become more of a problem in the past five years because Labour has invested in "a top-down, micro-managing, over-centralised state".

He will say: "The five giants are in danger of breeding a deep sense of powerlessness and defeatism. The most vulnerable people in society have been the victims of the one-size-fits-all approach to health, education and welfare."

He will accuse Labour of not helping people who are "doing the right thing" by earning money for their families, obeying the law and being a good parent. In contrast, he said, "the primary purpose of our policy will be to support and strengthen the breadwinners, law-abiding citizens, parents, public service users and good neighbours of a free society."

For example, the Tories would give parents "real choice" over their children's schools and give headteachers greater control over school discipline.

Labour marked Mr Duncan Smith's anniversary by publishing a dossier claiming he had had a "wasted year" as leader. It accused him of being "hypocritical and dishonest" in drawing up plans for more health charges, public spending cuts and privatised pensions while promising to protect the vulnerable.

Charles Clarke, the Labour chairman, said: "His artifice has been the development and secret discussion of ever more extremist right-wing policies while trying to create the impression of a party which is in touch with the people.

"It is a conjuror's trick which rightly brings down scorn on to his head."