Andy Burnham seeks cross-party agreement on future of social care

Andy Burnham said no party could claim the high ground after decades of failure on the issue. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham said no party could claim the high ground after decades of failure on the issue. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters Andy Burnham seeks cross-party agreement on future of social care PM promises lasting solution for England but Tories rule out backing changes funded by tax rises or borrowing Andy Burnham has pledged to work collaboratively with other parties to find a lasting solution on social care, though the Conservatives 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.” Andy Burnham vows to use his ‘political capital’ to fix social care system Read more 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, 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 solution, this issue requires a solution that is lasting, cross-party, and is one that the country can, 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 taxe