Prime Minister Theresa May has today outlined her vision for "shared society" in her keynote address at the Charity Commission's annual public meeting this morning. 

May indicated yesterday in a Sunday Telegraph article that she wants the "shared society" to be a key part of her leadership. She said she wants government to step up and deliver wider social reform, and appears to be particularly focused on mental health, though she gave little indication of the role she expected the charity and voluntary sector to play.

Her announcement was seen widely as rejection of the big society agenda put forward by her predecessor, David Cameron.

In the Sunday Telegraph she said that she wanted to address the "burning injustices that undermine the solidarity of our society". 

She described her vision of a shared society as one that "doesn't just value our individual rights but focuses rather more on the responsibilities we have to one another; a society that respects the bonds of family, community, citizenship and strong institutions that we share as a union of people and nations; a society with a commitment to fairness at its heart". 

Today she said: "This means a government rooted not in the laissez-faire liberalism that leaves people to get by on their own, but rather in a new philosophy that means government stepping up – not just in the traditional way of providing a welfare state to support the most vulnerable, as vital as that will always be. But actually in going further to help those who have been ignored by government for too long because they don’t fall into the income bracket that makes them qualify for welfare support."

The meeting was opened by William Shawcross, chair of the commission, and attendees also heard from Paula Sussex, chief executive and other senior staff about the regulator's performance over the past year and its plans for 2017. 

Civil Society have since covered Theresa May's speech in more detail. Read how how the PM has pledged to "support and chanmpion" the voluntary sector.