Andy Burnham has promised \u201cproblem-solving, not point-scoring\u201d before a speech on social care in which he will set out his strategy for resolving one of the most intractable issues in British politics.<\/p>\n
The prime minister has invited Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, and Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, to discuss how to enact urgent reform on social care, as he attempts to find common ground across party lines. Davey confirmed he would attend via videocall while the Conservatives said they would send the shadow health secretary, Stuart Andrew, in Badenoch\u2019s place as she was having pre-planned minor surgery.<\/p>\n
However, the suggestion that the main Westminster parties could finally reach consensus to fix the crisis that has eluded a generation of political leaders in England already appeared optimistic after the Tories imposed their own red lines and amid negative headlines about inheritance tax.<\/p>\n
Several Labour<\/a> MPs also expressed concern over how to manage the financial burden of a reformed care sector.<\/p>\n Before his speech on Wednesday, Burnham said: \u201cWe need a different kind of politics: problem-solving, not point-scoring. Nowhere is that more urgent than social care. For decades, governments have kicked this issue down the road because they\u2019ve seen it as too risky, too difficult, and too complicated.<\/p>\n \u201cPoliticians might have different views but I\u2019m serious about fixing this issue and to do that, we have to find common ground and listen to others to find a way forward. It\u2019s time to draw a line under people playing politics when the human cost of that means carers struggling, families paying the price and our NHS buckling under the strain.\u201d<\/p>\n The prime minister is expected to stop short of unveiling plans for a new social care system in this speech, instead confirming plans, first revealed by the Guardian<\/a>, to speed up the independent review led by Louise Casey that has been considering possible options.<\/p>\n Lady Casey, who will launch the Big Conversation on Care on Wednesday to give the public their chance to share their views on the future of adult social care in England via an online platform, has warned that money alone won\u2019t fix the problem.<\/p>\n However, Burnham\u2019s push for a solution is set against a tightening economic backdrop with the economic thinktank NIESR warning of \u201cvery difficult trade-offs\u201d in the autumn budget if the Iran war keeps oil prices and inflation high.<\/p>\n He is understood to be committed to exploring a new system that would be free at the point of use, the same principle as the NHS. He is understood to regard other options, such as a care costs cap, as less attractive, though they would be significantly cheaper for the taxpayer.<\/p>\n A middle-ground option would be a model similar to Scotland\u2019s, 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.<\/p>\n