Andy Burnham to fight next election with plan for NHS-style care service

PM says he is willing to expend political capital to bring in universal service for England funded by ‘everybody’

Analysis: can Labour hang on to Burnham bounce?

Andy Burnham will fight the next election with a pledge to finally fix the broken social care system, acknowledging he is willing to expend political capital by asking taxpayers to cover the cost.

As Labour’s party conference began in Liverpool, he pledged to “rip the plaster off” to radically transform care, setting out a vision for a universal service that would be free at the point of use for everyone in England.

The prime minister said the new NHS-style service would be funded by “everybody” but did not give further details on how his long-term plan would be paid for, indicating that a tax rise may be on the cards.