Andy Burnham Proposes Social Care Reform Amid Tax Disputes

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declared England's adult social care system broken and is pursuing a comprehensive reform to address its fragility. He is evaluating funding models that include a national care service based on the NHS principle, a free personal care system similar to the Scottish model, or a lifetime cap on care costs, with estimated annual costs between £4 billion and £18.5 billion by 2035-36.

During a visit to Portsmouth, Burnham ruled out scrapping stamp duty in the next budget but expressed a desire to make taxation fairer, specifically regarding council tax regional discrepancies. While he called for cross-party collaboration to resolve the social care crisis, he refused to rule out a 10% levy on estates to fund the plan.

Opposition leaders have reacted sharply to these proposals. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch argued that funding must come from reducing spending rather than tax increases, while Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly accused the government of targeting middle England. Reform leader Nigel Farage condemned the proposed estate levy as a death tax, suggesting the Prime Minister should call a general election if he intends to raid life savings. Conversely, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey advocated for a consensus to ensure citizens do not lose their homes to care costs.