Badenoch says PM must rule out tax rises to fund social care reform

Kemi Badenoch has written to the prime minister asking him to "rule out any tax rises or increased borrowing" to fund social care reform.

In a letter to Andy Burnham, the Conservative Party leader said she would be happy to work with him to find a solution, but only if he sticks to her party's "two core principles".

She said any reform must be funded by reducing current spending and not raising taxes, and also be fair to those who have "made provisions and saved up over the course of their lives".

Burnham is expected to make a speech on adult social care this week. A No 10 source said this was part of his plan to "run towards problems that have been neglected".

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Writing to the prime minister on Sunday, Badenoch said she hoped they could "find common ground" on the issue.

Badenoch said it was a "hugely important issue" but that previous efforts to form a "durable consensus around social care has not been at all simple".

She wrote to Burnham: "The Conservatives are happy to work with you and other parties on reforming social care. But we will only support a solution that abides by two core principles."

Any proposed solution must firstly be fair to those who have "made provisions and saved up over the course of their lives", Badenoch said.

Secondly, she said the money must be found by reducing current spending and that Burnham "must rule out any tax rises or increased borrowing that will ultimately fall on the next generation to pay for".

Badenoch added: "With businesses closing or relocating, youth unemployment higher than in the eurozone, and the cost of living already causing real hardship for many people, the last thing Britain needs is further tax increases to pay for social care."

Burnham first proposed a universal system of social care in England in 2009 when he was health secretary under Gordon Brown. He has vowed to spend political capital on the issue as prime minister.

However, he is not the first leader in recent years to pledge to address the issue of adult social care.

In 2019, in his first speech as prime minister, Boris Johnson said the Conservative Party would "fix the crisis in social care once and for all".

Five years later in July 2024, Sir Keir Starmer faced criticism when Labour scrapped plans for an £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England would need to spend on their personal care over their lifetime.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who has pushed for social care reform, said on Saturday: "This has to be the start of a real effort to end the social care catastrophe."

He added: "I'll fight to ensure family carers aren't forgotten. We need cross-party consensus, and I hope the PM's door is open."

Burnham responded to Sir Ed on X, writing: "It most certainly is, Ed. Let's work together to find some common ground."