Andy Burnham has said he will put plans for an NHS-style social care system, free at the point of use, to voters at the next general election.
The Prime Minister suggested the reforms could require tax rises and acknowledged they might prove unpopular. He said the proposals would form part of Labour’s manifesto, with no changes planned before the election expected in 2029.
Speaking as the Labour conference began in Liverpool, Mr Burnham said he was prepared to “grasp the nettle” and create a National Care Service after years of disagreement over how social care should be funded and delivered.
“I am prepared to put myself in that position, recognising that it might be difficult or unpopular with some,” he said.
The plan could involve what has been described as a new “death tax” to raise billions of pounds, although Mr Burnham did not set out precise proposals. He said Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitments made it “hard to do in this Parliament” and that the public would need to approve the approach.
Social care reform could cost billions
A system based on NHS principles could cost up to £18.5 billion a year by 2035-36, according to an estimate from the Health Foundation think tank.
Mr Burnham rejected that assessment, arguing that improved social care would reduce pressure on the NHS by preventing people from needing emergency treatment or hospital beds.
“People are paying care charges now. They are spending tens of thousands of pounds from their savings, sometimes losing their homes,” he said.
“Social care in England is as unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable in society can lose everything, they can be wiped out, not just by the condition that they have, but wiped out financially.”
He said the service should operate on NHS principles so that “everyone contributes, everyone is covered”, while stressing that Baroness Casey had been asked to develop the detailed proposals.
Mr Burnham said his conference speech on Tuesday would set out his “vision” for reform. He also linked his determination to act to the death of his father, Roy, last week after he required care because of Alzheimer’s disease.
“I won’t leave office without having grasped this nettle,” he told the Mirror. “It is a priority for me, and I will face it. And it may make me unpopular, but I’m going to do it.”
Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow minister, said: “We do not support tax increases. This country is already taxed too highly.”
