The prime minister told the BBC that social care in England is "as unfair as American healthcare".

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'Broken social care will in the end break the NHS,' says Burnham

Published27 September 2026, 11:05 BST

Andy Burnham wants to offer access to free social care services to everyone in England, and will put his plans before voters at the next general election

The prime minister told the BBC that it would be a system in which "everyone contributes, everyone is covered". He did not rule out tax rises, acknowledging it may be "difficult or unpopular" with some

Burnham said he wants to set out his "vision" on Tuesday and Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Casey, who is conducting a review, will advise on the "best way of doing it"

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the PM was suggesting Labour wanted "more tax rises" to pay for the reforms, adding the Conservatives would not support this

Burnham has made reforming social care one of his flagship policies and has spoken of the experience of his father Roy, who had Alzheimer's and died earlier this month