Home Office minister Fiona Mactaggart has said the appointment of Alan Milburn to the Cabinet will sharpen up Labour's manifesto following a lacklustre campaign in 2001.

In an exclusive interview with ePolitix.com, the charities minister welcomed the recent return of the former health secretary as election campaign chief was a sign that the government would no longer rest on its laurels.

Mactaggart had been a critic of the general election campaign three years ago, saying that "the sandstone of power had rubbed off the sharp corners of policy innovation".

But the minister insisted that the party had done more in the current parliament than was promised during the campaign.

However she said it would be a risk to run on a similarly defensive programme next year as voters would be left uninspired.

She argued that bringing in Milburn as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and  was a wise move by the prime minister.

"I think that the appointment of Alan Milburn is a sign that we can't tolerate that risk again," Mactaggart said. 

"We have actually done a number of very innovative things since 2001 so although I felt that we hadn't offered enough in that election in fact we've done a lot. Things like the way in which we've tackled anti-social behaviour much more effectively, the way in which we've created wardens of different kinds to help the police in terms of making neighbourhoods safer and we've supported and increased volunteering.

"All of those are things that we have done that weren’t completely obvious in the manifesto and one of the very exciting things about Alan Milburn is that he is a thinker and is that he recognises that voluntary action often can be the source of innovation. Alan Milburn can create the kind of pressure that can stop government's slipping into the same old ways which is always the default position.

"I actually feel quite optimistic his role will raise the game in advance of the general election. He will ensure that not only does what we deliver innovate and improve public service but what we offer people during the election campaign will reflect that more than I think we did sometimes in 2001."