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Politics
May 17, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

Labour Must Tackle Social Care Crisis Head-On

AI Summary
The article argues that the next Labour leader must prioritize addressing the social care crisis in the UK, which has been neglected by previous governments. A new proposal suggests creating a 'national care service' similar to the NHS, but properly funded.

The Imperative for Labour to Address Social Care

If a new Labour leader wants to underline their determination to wrestle with Britain’s political challenges, it is hard to think of a better place to start than with the creaking social care settlement.

The History of Unfulfilled Promises

A new collection of essays, to be published by the Fabian Society this week, urges the government – whoever leads it – to crack on with creating a “national care service” more closely aligned to the NHS, and ensure it is properly funded.

  • Nine years ago, Theresa May launched a plan to fund care costs, promising that no one would have to sell their home in their lifetime to pay for their care.
  • The plan was called a “dementia tax” by Labour and was widely credited as a contributing factor in the Conservatives’ worse-than-expected 2017 election performance.

The Financial Impact of Inaction

The sorry history of politicians failing to grip the issue is partly indicative of the fiscal constraints they are increasingly forced to work with. But it also seems to mark a kind of learned helplessness – an unwillingness to make an argument.

The Impact on the Nation

That leaves families still selling their homes to fund care, and fretting about how long the proceeds will last, as they witness their relative’s heartbreaking decline. Meanwhile, the cash-strapped care sector still struggles to meet growing need.

A New Approach for the Future

Burnham has talked in recent years about replacing inheritance tax with a progressive “care levy” in order to fund a national care service. Labour has not been idle: radical plans for a statutory negotiating body for care workers’ pay are progressing.