Badenoch writes open letter to Burnham with challenge over tax hikes to fund social care reform
Kemi Badenoch has urged Andy Burnham to rule out tax rises or increased borrowing for social care reform.
The Conservative Party leader, who challenged the Prime Minister ahead of the expected intervention this week, said his party was only willing to work with the Government if two “fundamental principles” were met.
Mr Burnham is expected to give a speech on adult social care in the coming days as he aims to “rush towards neglected problems”, according to No 10. He believes the issue of how adult social care works and is funded in England has been “neglected” by previous administrations.
In a letter to the new Prime Minister he wrote: “Firstly, any solution to the problems of social care must also be fair to those who have prepared and saved throughout their lives.
“Second, money must be found by reducing current spending. You must rule out any tax increases or increases in borrowing that will ultimately fall on the shoulders of the next generation.”
He continues: “The tax burden has risen to a record high under Labour, and there is already speculation that you will raise taxes further in this autumn’s budget to pay for outstanding funding gaps for the defense investment plan, on top of everything you announced in your first week.
“On borrowing, the Labor government currently plans to borrow a quarter of a trillion pounds more than the plans you inherited during this Parliament, and the debt is expected to rise every year.
“With businesses closing or relocating, youth unemployment higher than in the Eurozone and the cost of living creating serious hardship for many people, the last thing Britain needs is further tax increases on social care.”
Unlike NHS care, social care is not free at the point of use, and high costs sometimes mean people are forced to sell their homes to meet their needs.
People with a savings value of more than £23,250 are not entitled to help with maintenance costs from their local council.
Mr Burnham has pledged to use “some of my political capital” to overhaul the system, which previous governments have promised and failed to deliver on.
Mr Burnham had previously laid out plans to overhaul social care for the elderly by creating a national care service for England when he was health secretary under Gordon Brown in 2010, but those plans collapsed after the Conservative Party claimed Labor would impose a “death tax” to pay for it.
In her letter, Ms Badenoch said she hoped they could “find common ground” on “an issue that is hugely important to so many people and so important to me”.
And he warned that “previous efforts to build a lasting consensus on social care have been anything but straightforward”.
