Andy Burnham holds cross-party talks on adult social care crisis

Prime Minister Andy Burnham will convene a cross-party meeting on Wednesday to address what he calls the crisis in adult social care, pledging to devote his full political capital to fixing the system. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have accepted the invitation, but Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has accused Mr Burnham of shutting out his party, which he says represents millions of voters.

Mr Burnham said governments have avoided reforming social care for decades because they saw it as too risky and too complicated. He insisted the time for political point-scoring was over, warning that the NHS would collapse without action. The meeting comes after the prime minister said he wanted a different kind of politics focused on problem-solving.

Badenoch absent as Tories send shadow health secretary

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch will not attend the meeting, a party spokesman confirmed. Instead, shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew will represent the Conservatives. A party source told the Evening Standard the short notice of the invitation suggested the event was staged for show. Mr Andrew said his party was ready to work with Labour on social care improvements provided they did not rely on further tax rises or borrowing.

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will participate by video link from France, where he is on holiday with his family. Writing on X, he said he hoped the meeting would be the first step towards fixing the broken care system. He added that he was unable to be in Westminster but was committed to the talks.

Farage hits out at exclusion

Nigel Farage criticised the prime minister for not inviting Reform UK, which he said had led more than 300 national opinion polls and represented thousands of councillors and millions of Britons. He described the meeting as 'uniparty in action' and accused Mr Burnham of conspiring behind closed doors with the political establishment to impose further tax rises. Green Party leader Zack Polanski told the BBC's Newsnight that inviting opposition leaders was positive, but he would also like to attend. He described adult social care as a 'ticking time bomb'.

“For decades, governments have kicked this issue down the road because they've seen it as too risky, too difficult, and too complicated.”

Andy Burnham, Prime Minister

Previous levy proposal resurfaces

The meeting follows reports that Mr Burnham may revive a plan he proposed as health secretary in 2010, when he suggested a compulsory levy on estates to fund a national care service. At the time, the Conservatives labelled the proposal a 'death tax', and it was abandoned. The government has since said there are no current plans for such a levy. Mr Burnham has frequently cited his father's experience of living with Alzheimer's in a care home as a personal motivation for reform.

Casey commission seeks public views

Baroness Louise Casey, who is leading a government commission into adult social care, will join Mr Burnham at a care home visit on Wednesday. She is expected to launch a 'Big Conversation on Care' to gather public opinion on what the system should look like, how it should be funded, and the role of the state. Her first report is due later this year, with a final deadline of 2028, though she has indicated the work could finish sooner.

Lady Casey noted that there have been 22 attempts at reforming social care since 1997, none of which fixed the foundations. She said the choice was between continuing to pour money into a broken system or having an honest conversation about building something better. Caroline Abrahams of Age UK said the current system dates from after the Second World War and needs a fundamental rethink, adding that funding reform would likely require everyone to contribute differently.

The cross-party meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. No further details have been released about the agenda or expected outcomes. Mr Burnham has said he will put everything he has into the issue, warning that failure to act will see the NHS buckle under the strain of an unreformed care system.