By Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill
LIVERPOOL, Sept 27 (Reuters) – Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged on Sunday to present his proposal to tackle Britain’s social care crisis at the next national election, saying it would be free at the point of use, with the cost spread across the population.
At the beginning of his first Labour Party conference as prime minister, Burnham used an interview with the BBC to set out his plans for social care, a pricey issue he said resonated for him after his father died earlier this month in a care home.
Yet, despite saying it was one of his priorities, the former Manchester mayor said he would not present his social care plans until the next national election, due by mid-2029, offering some relief to a government wanting to avoid the immediate prospect of major tax rises.
BURNHAM PROMISES TO ‘RIP THE PLASTER OFF’
“I am going to go show leadership on this issue … I won’t dodge the difficult questions. I am going to rip the plaster off, if I can put it that way, because someone has to do it,” he said.
“I will put that plan to the public at a general election. That will be where the plan will gets tested … I am prepared to put myself in that position recognising it may be difficult or unpopular with some.”
Several British prime ministers have tried, and failed, to reform social care, a system which often sees those being looked after in care homes having to sell their property or get into debt to cover sky-high costs.
Asked if he was also willing to set out areas where he would rein in spending, to address concerns about the public finances, Burnham said he would show at the conference this week that he was prepared to do that.
Darren Jones, a close ally of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said that scrapping the so-called pensions triple lock was an option that the government should consider in order to fund social care reforms.
Yet by delaying his plans to implement social care reform until the next election, he has offered his finance minister, John Healey, a bit of room for manoeuvre before the budget on October 28.
Burnham wants the conference in the English city of Liverpool to inspire a sense of hope for a party, which under his predecessor had seen its popularity plummet.
Emphasising what he described as the good news stories in Britain, with the cities of Liverpool and Manchester showing healthy economic growth rates, Burnham will know there are equally difficult decisions coming down the track.
The cost of borrowing is at high levels, the welfare bill is ballooning, energy costs are rising and Burnham and Healey need to fill a £4.7 billion gap in the Defence Investment Plan, a blueprint that some defence experts say does not go far enough in meeting Britain’s promise to increase defence spending.
Burnham said his desire first is to ease the pressure on the country, where many are suffering with the cost of living.
“I want the job because of what I can do with the job, and people won’t be in any doubt about what I am trying to do,” he said. “I am here to end a decade of drift and division that we’ve had since Brexit.”
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskillEditing by Christina Fincher)
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