Andy Burnham Pledges National Care Service and Pension Reform

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a radical overhaul of the United Kingdom's social care system during a speech at the Labour Party conference. He pledged to establish a National Care Service that is person-centred, starts in the home, and is free at the point of use. Burnham argued that the initiative is necessary to prevent broken social care from collapsing the NHS.

To fund the system, which could cost over £18 billion annually by 2035, Burnham proposed amending the state pension triple lock starting in 2030. Under the new plan, pensions would rise by either inflation or 2.5%, removing the automatic link to average earnings growth. This reform is projected to save £15 billion annually by 2040. Burnham has commissioned Baroness Casey to conduct a review on the delivery of the service, with a deadline of summer 2027.

Beyond healthcare, Burnham vowed to overturn Margaret Thatcher-era reforms to increase public control over energy, housing, and water, including a forthcoming Water Bill to end the ban on public ownership of water companies. He also announced a national commission to explore replacing the first-past-the-post voting system.

While the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Age UK expressed support for the direction, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey criticized the timeline for social care reform and warned that altering the triple lock could increase pensioner poverty.