Prime Minister Andy Burnham brought his first speech to Labour's conference as Prime Minister to a dramatic halt as he appeared to be close to tears. It came as he spoke emotionally about his father.
Mr Burnham looked emotional and paused before he highlighted comments made by John Swinney, the SNP first minister of Scotland. Mr Burnham said: "On the day my dad died the Scottish first minister said I would be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom". He said he did not blame John Swinney, who had not known about the death. But he said he was "utterly determined" to prove Mr Swinney wrong. And Mr Burnham was emotional again, and sounded close to tears, as he said this country "gave my dad a good life".
Family tributes and social care
Earlier, the Prime Minister said he "despaired at what I saw" when his grandmother was in social care - including his gran's engagement ring being ripped from her finger and stolen as she was in a care home. He said his grandmother's home was sold to pay for care.
He said politicians had been "too cowardly to fix something as basic as the care we give each other". Referring to his father Roy, who had Alzheimer's and died earlier this month, Mr Burnham said his father had been cared for by staff on poverty pay.
"If we carry on like this, broken social care will break the NHS too and we can't let that happen."
Triple lock changes
He issued a blunt admission that many voters will hate his plan to scrap the state pension triple lock. He admitted: "I accept I may pay a political price. But someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off."
Speaking at Labour's conference in Liverpool, the Prime Minister pledged to "go out and argue" for reforms. And he said that in return for axing the triple lock, pensioners would get free social care - ending the threat of being forced to sell their homes.
Andy Burnham set out plans for a "National Care Service" which would be "free at the point of use", as he spoke to Labour's annual conference in Liverpool. He said Labour had pledged to keep the triple lock at least until the next election. And Mr Burnham said he would "honour that promise" and "do more."
In April 2030 we will "adjust it", he said. "The state pension will continue to rise every year at least by prices or 2.5%. And it will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation". It's a change from the current triple lock, which ensures that the state pension increases by the highest of inflation, annual earnings growth or 2.5%.
Mr Burnham set out plans for a "person-centered, high-quality care service". It would be free at the point of use, "and no charges paid out of your basic state pension ... which protects people's homes and their savings".
Right to buy and new path
Andy Burnham also announced that future council tenants will lose the right to buy their homes, as part of a left-wing programme to undo the legacy of Margaret Thatcher. It marks the end of one of the key policies of Thatcher's government. Residents in new council homes will be barred from buying them - while empty homes that are owned by private landlords will be taken over by councils. The Prime Minister also warned that councils could seize occupied homes rented out by private landlords, if they are in a poor state.
Existing council tenants will not lose the right to buy, he said. Mr Burnham slammed Brexit and the reforms introduced by Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s, as he signalled a massive growth in state power. In his speech to the Labour conference in Liverpool, the Prime Minister signalled a swing to the Left as he complained that state-owned services had been sold off.
And he condemned the decision to quit the European Union, saying it was one of the problems that had turned the UK into a nation "with too many places left to drift".
Mr Burnham said: "I will make a break with the direction of the past 40 years and put Britain on a new path". He received rapturous applause as he told Labour activists that he would end Margaret Thatcher's "ideological ban" on public ownership of water companies.
He claimed the UK took the wrong path in the 1980s - with water, transport and care services "broken up and sold off". He added: "Later this year we will publish our plan for Britain. It will set out how over 10 years we will make this country work for you again. More control over the basics."
Referring to his long journey to Number 10, he spoke about his family's background in Liverpool. He said his grandad drove a lorry along Liverpool's docks and spoke about his grandmother putting down a deposit on a house in the city. The Prime Minister pledged to put Britain "on a new path".
And he said: "Imagine living in a Britain where people feel the country has got their back again".
Mr Burnham pointed out that he was "ten weeks into this job". And he paid tribute to former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, saying: "Thank you Keir".
He said he "became an outsider from the Westminster club" because of his frustration with the failure of central government to deal with issues such as social care. "Everyone knows things are not working as they should ... everyone wants less drift and more direction". "Britain has been on the wrong path for a long time."
