Andy Burnham has pledged to work collaboratively with other parties to find a lasting solution on social care, though the Conservatives have ruled out backing changes funded by tax rises or borrowing.
Senior Labour and Liberal Democrat figures have privately cast doubt on Burnham’s ability to find a cross-party consensus on social care reform in England, given the terms of the Tories’ participation.
Speaking before a major social care speech this Wednesday, Burnham said he would lead cross-party talks on fixing the broken system.
The prime minister said: “I want to build a different way of doing politics with more problem solving, less point scoring, and credit to the leaders of the two main parties, Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey, both of whom have reached out over the weekend to say they’re prepared to engage in talks.
“On this issue, no party is in a position where they’ve got the high ground. We’ve all failed on this issue, over decades, and the pressure now on the National Health Service as a result of that failure is huge.”
Burnham has previously promised to use “whatever political capital I have” to fix the social care system in England, saying there are “major changes you can make before the next election”.
The prime minister is understood to be committed to exploring a new system that would be free at the point of use, saying he would like one that “operates on the NHS principle”.
Other options, such as a care costs cap, are understood to be less attractive to Burnham, though they would cost the taxpayer significantly less than a national care service.
A middle-ground option would be a model similar to Scotland’s, where personal care costs are paid by the state but other costs, such as accommodation and food in care homes, are borne by individuals and their families.
Burnham said on Monday he would try to start with short-term agreements between parties and then build towards a longer-term solution.
He said: “I would like to see if we could arrange talks, cross-party talks, to build that spirit of collaboration from the start. This issue requires a solution that is lasting, cross-party, and is one that the country can support. So the more we go forward on that basis, the better.”
Labour MPs have broadly welcomed the prospect of reform, though several cautioned that serious consideration would need to be given to how to protect people from losing their homes to care costs or penalising with new taxes those who had already saved for retirement and care.
Though he said he would not put a specific timeframe on reform, Burnham said he wanted to move quickly. He told the BBC: “I would not want to leave office without having brought in the substantial change, the new system of social care.”
Davey has said he is also prepared to make tough decisions to support the right social care reforms. The two leaders have agreed in principle to meet and discuss how to find consensus.
A Lib Dem source said they had been taken aback by the unwillingness of Keir Starmer’s government to work with Davey on social care – particularly given the family experiences of both Starmer and Davey with the care system.
The source said: “Unless you manage to at least make an attempt at consensus, having a big majority means nothing. Because what happens is you ram it through parliament, and then the opposition parties just tear it to bits, and that’s what’s happened time and time again.”
The party will make the inclusion of family carers in the reforms a condition of Liberal Democrat support for any resulting tax changes.
A key issue will be speeding up Louise Casey’s review of social care, which had been expected to report by 2028 but which the health and social care committee has said should be completed by the end of the year.
Only people with assets below £23,250 currently qualify for support with their care costs.
Senior Labour and Liberal Democrats said the Conservatives’ stipulations on the reforms suggested they were not open to cross-party working. One Labour source said: “This has been a Conservative attack line for decades and they will not be able to resist opposing it. I hope they will prove us wrong but I doubt it.”
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrats’ health and social care spokesperson, said: “For 20 years the Conservatives have stood in the way of reforming social care. Consistently they have chosen to play party politics rather than get around the table and look for a solution. We firmly believe that you can solve social care without raising taxes on working people, but we also believe that you cannot do it without all the parties working together.”
In a letter to Burnham setting out the terms for supporting any reform, Badenoch said it had “not been at all simple” to find a consensus on reform. She said the Conservatives would only support reforms funded by spending cuts. “You must rule out any tax rises, or increased borrowing that will ultimately fall on the next generation to pay for,” she added.
The Green party MP Ellie Chowns said her party would work constructively on social care reform and attempt to build consensus for a service that was similar to the NHS.
She said: “The Greens would absolutely welcome proposals which seek to inject much-needed urgency into reforming the care sector and move us towards a system of free adult social care for all, and stand willing to constructively work with the government to best achieve these aims.”
Burnham will have to navigate relations with trade unions as he seeks to reform the social care system. The TUC has said it would back a national care service funded through general taxation, with the emphasis on taxing the wealthy and assets.
The public sector union Unison has put major pressure on the government to U-turn on migration measures that would retrospectively affect the right of workers on care visas to remain in the UK.
