Burnham vows to overhaul England's social care with universal free system

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signaled his intention to fundamentally reform England's social care system, proposing a universal service modeled on the National Health Service that would be free for everyone at the point of use. Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg at the start of Labour's party conference in Liverpool, Burnham said the new system would be funded by "everybody" but withheld specifics on the financing mechanism, citing an ongoing review led by Baroness Casey.

Burnham acknowledged the reform would likely be costly and complex to implement, but said he was prepared to spend political capital on the issue regardless of personal unpopularity. He described the current system as comparably unfair to American healthcare, where vulnerable people can lose everything they own to pay for care.

The changes would not take effect before the next general election, expected in 2029. Instead, Labour plans to include the proposals in its manifesto so voters can weigh in directly, reducing the risk that political opposition derails the policy before it starts.

A personal motivation

Burnham revealed that his father Roy's recent death from Alzheimer's, two weeks earlier, had strengthened his resolve. He praised the humor, humanity and skill of care workers, noting they often work for poverty-level pay while remaining largely invisible to policymakers.

A history of resistance

This is not Burnham's first attempt at such reform — as health secretary in 2009 he proposed a similar national care service, which Conservatives branded a "death tax" over its plan to tax estates after death. That proposal was abandoned after Labour lost the 2010 election. This time, Burnham called for cross-party consensus, warning that fear-based political attacks would again block essential reform. He also acknowledged concerns about the state of public finances, saying Chancellor John Healey would run the economy prudently.