Burnham Proposes Free National Care Service — SkimNews
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- Andy Burnham proposed a national care service, free at the point of use, to tackle what he called England's "threadbare" social care services
- Burnham warned in a BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg that "broken social care will in the end break the NHS" and said he would not look in the other direction
- Burnham committed to developing a clear plan for the new national care service and putting it to the public at the next general election
- Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, warned that "more tax rises" are likely needed to fund the scheme and called funding it a "red line" for the Conservatives
Why it matters: Burnham is making social care reform a central pledge for the next general election by tying it directly to NHS survival. The Conservative response — flagging likely "more tax rises" as a "red line" — sets up a clear funding battle between the parties. England's social care users, NHS patients, and taxpayers all have a direct stake in which side prevails.
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