Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to deliver a speech on social care on Wednesday, in which he will avoid detailed reform proposals and instead stress the need to build a cross-party consensus on the issue. Speaking ahead of a planned cross-party meeting on the crisis, Burnham is expected to say that governments have «kicked this issue down the road because they've seen it as too risky, too difficult, and too complicated». He will add that while politicians may hold different views, he is «serious about fixing this issue» and that finding «common ground» is essential.
The comments come as Baroness Louise Casey, the government's social care tsar, played down concerns about the cost of expanding the system. Speaking to the media, Casey argued that many families are already paying for care through private arrangements and that the real question is not whether people will have to pay but how the burden is shared fairly. She described dementia as a «hidden problem» that requires urgent attention, noting that the current system leaves many older people and their families without adequate support.
However, the cross-party talks that Burnham hopes will forge a consensus have already run into controversy. Both Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey have said they cannot attend the meeting, claiming they were given only 18 hours' notice. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was not invited to the talks at all, a decision that has drawn criticism from his party. The absence of major opposition figures raises questions about whether Burnham can achieve the broad political agreement he has promised.
The social care crisis has been a persistent challenge for successive governments, with rising costs, an ageing population, and a struggling workforce placing immense strain on the system. Burnham, who made social care reform a centrepiece of his general election campaign, has pledged to «put everything I've got» into fixing the broken system. His government is reportedly considering options including a cap on care costs, changes to inheritance tax, and a new social care levy — though none of these specifics are expected to feature in his speech on Wednesday.
In a separate development that has added to the political noise, Green Party leader Zack Polanski admitted to making an «inadvertent mistake» by sharing an Instagram post featuring a man wearing a T-shirt with an image of a guillotine and the phrase «we're only making plans for Nigel». Reform UK has reported Polanski to the police over the image, which some interpreted as a threat. Polanski repeatedly refused to apologise directly to Nigel Farage, insisting the post was not intended to incite violence.
Despite the distractions, Burnham appears determined to press ahead with his social care agenda. The prime minister is expected to argue that the public wants politicians to work together on this issue and that the time for party-political point-scoring is over. Whether his vision of a consensus can survive the early political skirmishes — and the absence of key opposition leaders from the negotiating table — remains to be seen. The meeting, initially scheduled for this week, may still go ahead in a reduced form, with local government representatives and care sector experts expected to attend.
