When Gordon Brown became prime minister a year ago, there were some on the Labour left who believed he would put the brakes on Tony Blair’s drive to transform public services through the wider use of the private sector.

Today James Purnell, the work and pensions secretary, sends out an unequivocal message that, on welfare, the leftwingers were wrong, announcing that the operation of all of Britain’s welfare system will be open to the private and voluntary sectors.