In a deeply emotional speech to Labour faithful, the Prime Minister pledged to get Britain out of its rut with ‘honesty, ideas and a clear direction for the country we all love’
In a deeply emotional speech to Labour faithful, Andy Burnahm pledged to get Britain out of its rut(Image: Andrew Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Andy Burnham has announced he would end the pensions triple lock after the next election to pay for a new National Care Service in memory of his late dad.
In a deeply emotional speech to Labour faithful, the Prime Minister pledged to get Britain out of its rut with “honesty, ideas and a clear direction for the country we all love”.
Promising a radical overhaul of care for the elderly as significant as the creation of the NHS, Mr Burnham said “someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off” by finally finding a way to fund it.
The plans mean that after April 2030 the state pension will continue to rise every year by inflation or 2.5% – dropping the link to wage growth. Officials believe it will save £15billion a year by 2040 compared to if the policy was not reformed.
The tearful Prime Minister nearly broke down as he spoke of the influence of his dad Roy on his politics, and was given a standing ovation by delegates as he composed himself.
His father, who was battling Alzheimer’s disease, died earlier this month in a care home aged 86. His condition was so advanced that he didn’t know his son was becoming Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham said: “Whatever its flaws, this country gave my dad a good life And it has given his sons opportunities he didn’t get for himself. He recognised that and was grateful for it and so proud of what Nick, John and I did with them.
“If only he had been able to appreciate that moment of the family in Downing Street. The son of a man who failed his 11-plus becoming Prime Minister.”
Mr Burnham said a National Care Service was the only way to stop the NHS from collapsing, which would ease pressure by delivering person care for the elderly at home.
He said: “A system in the best traditions of this party, where everyone contributes and everyone is covered, free at the point of use, and no care charges paid out of your basic state pension.
“Care that is about people, not profit, which gives peace of mind over care needs in later life, which protects people’s homes and their savings, and gives proper recognition to the care workers we will all need to rely on at some point in our lives.”
Mr Burnham tried to reform the system in 2010 as Health Secretary but his plans for a 10% tax on people’s estates after they died was branded a “death tax” by the Tories.
He said: “I won’t pretend some of this won’t be difficult. I accept I may pay a political price, but someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off. It’s the leadership I promised you when I asked to be your leader, and I will do it.”
Setting out his mission to build a new economy, the Prime Minister also compared his task to Clement Attlee’s 1945 reforming government that rebuilt a shattered country in the wake of the Second World War.
He said: “I am ready to do things my predecessors wouldn’t. I will make a break with the direction of the past 40 years and put Britain on a new path. Build a new economy and a new politics. That is the case I make to you today.
“Change will be difficult. It always is. But I know we can do it. Because we have done it before. In 1945, we had the vision to win the peace. We had the bravery to make change. We built good homes, secure jobs, health and education for everyone. We gave Britain hope again.”
Speaking without a lectern, Mr Burnham vowed to overturn damaging Margaret Thatcher-era reforms to give the public greater control over essential utilities including housing, water, and energy.
Among the measures, he said a strengthened Water Bill will soon be presented to Parliament, overturning her 1989 “ideological ban on public ownership of water companies”. He described the failing water industry as a “symbol of what has gone wrong with Britain”.
He added: “A service where the shareholders never lose and the public never win. From which some have syphoned out easy money while the public picked up the bill for the sewage in our seas. It stinks. I will not allow it to continue like this.”
And he raised the prospect of overhauling Britain’s first-past-the-post voting system – something he rallied against repeatedly before entering Downing Street.
He said a new national commission will be set up to explore options and ensure “everyone’s vote counts and everyone’s voice is heard” with any proposals included in Labour’s next election manifesto.
Mr Burnham kissed his wife Marie-France van Heel and embraced his mum Eileen and his brother John after he delivered his speech.
The PM will now attempt to build a political consensus for a shake-up of the triple lock to help tackle the crisis in social care – one of Britain’s long-neglected issues.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “A modern, progressive social care system, free at the point of use, would be transformational for older and disabled people, and their families too.
“We’re excited about this aspiration at Age UK and we will do everything we can to support Louise Casey’s independent commission in thinking through what it should look like, and politicians on all sides in bringing it about.”
But Ms Abrahams urged the Government to have “a cast-iron plan to ensure no-one is left behind” as it changes the triple lock and rolls out a National Care Service.
Labour chairwoman of the Treasury Committee, Meg Hillier, said: “I’m impressed that he’s bold enough to say that today. Not just sort of sneaking it out before a general election, or have lots of people discussing it as a possibility.”
Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Helen Miller, posted on X: “Arguably, reforming the pension triple lock is the first ‘difficult decision’ this government has taken. Pensions will still rise – but (sounds like) they won’t ratchet up in an uncertain and unpredictable way. The latter is good news for the public finances. Well done Andy Burnham.”
But Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who cares for his severely disabled son, said: “Fixing social care is too important and too urgent to leave until after the next election, and I am disappointed to read that is now your plan.”
He also raised concerns over the pension triple lock, which he described as an essential tool in the fight against pensioner poverty, as he urged the PM to convene cross-party talks.
