Andy Burnham has warned that Britain faces a decline unless Westminster undergoes a radical political overhaul, accusing politicians of 'flinching away' from difficult policy challenges. The Greater Manchester mayor, who is standing in the Makerfield by-election, said he would begin transforming England's broken social care system this year if he became prime minister.
Burnham, who first attempted to reform social care as Labour's health secretary in 2009, said there was an urgent need to fix the crisis. He suggested bringing forward the Casey review on social care funding from 2028 to the end of 2026, focusing on measures that could be implemented quickly. He also reiterated his support for replacing inheritance tax with a progressive 'care levy' to fund a national care service.
In an interview with the Guardian, Burnham confirmed he intends to run in a Labour leadership contest. He said Labour should be a broad church with more left-wing ministers, but ruled out allowing Jeremy Corbyn back into the party. He also signalled there would be no snap election if he replaced Keir Starmer, and defended his comments that politicians should not be 'in hock' to bond markets.
Burnham argued it would be a mistake to rerun the Brexit referendum but expressed a desire for the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime. He praised Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for 'facing up' to immigration issues. Downing Street responded by saying Starmer would 'not walk away' from his mandate, and that the country expects the government to focus on delivering change.
