Social care reform: Burnham vows to fix ‘broken’ system

Burnham makes bold move

Speaking at a care home in Enfield, north London, Burnham warned that the NHS would buckle without change, which an early priority for his government.

Burnham set out three key pledges: to appoint a new dementia tsar, to speed up the independent Casey Commission, and to begin cross-party talks immediately.

Baroness Louise Casey, who leads the review, has told the BBC the system is "fairly bust".

Both Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who is sending shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew, and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who will join remotely, accepted the invitation.

Reform UK and the Greens were not invited, and Nigel Farage hit out at his exclusion.

The case for social care reform

Speaking "from the heart" about his own father receiving care, Burnham said the crisis was a "major dereliction of public duty".

He stated: "It's shameful to be honest that politicians have put point scoring before fixing this issue. [Carers] should be the best-paid people in society, not the worst."

Burnham first proposed a universal system of social care in 2009 as health secretary.

He says he will put "whatever political capital" he has into fixing it, and will accelerate the Casey Commission, whose full recommendations are due to follow.