Story perspectives

Burnham Leads Care Talks, Badenoch Proposes £18.5bn Levy

7/29/2026

Summary

Burnham Calls Care

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham holds cross-party care talks on Wednesday, saying he will use capital to fix care and warning the NHS could collapse.
He orders Baroness Louise Casey’s review to report within a year, for reforms by 2027.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sends Stuart Andrew, insisting funding avoid tax rises or borrowing, and proposes a 1.8% earnings levy above £6,240 to raise an £18.5 billion cost for a care service.

Summary

Adults Back Care

A survey of about 2,800 English adults showed support for expanding social-care access and funding it through progressive taxes rather than private insurance.
Respondents drew a “red line” against widening private-insurance roles and against limiting aid to only the lowest-asset households, while wealth and age mattered little.
Across parties, participants favoured wealth taxes, higher asset thresholds and caps on out-of-pocket costs, with left-leaning respondents more enthusiastic.

History

Historical Context

The Health and Social Care Act, receiving royal assent on 27 March 2012, abolished primary-care trusts and shifted £60-£80 billion of commissioning money to GP-led clinical commissioning groups, a change championed by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and defended by Prime Minister David Cameron. The 2022 Health and Care Act later dismantled many of those structures, underscoring ongoing debate over NHS financing and social-care reform.

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Burnham Calls Care

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham holds cross-party care talks on Wednesday, saying he will use capital to fix care and warning the NHS could collapse.
He orders Baroness Louise Casey’s review to report within a year, for reforms by 2027.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch sends Stuart Andrew, insisting funding avoid tax rises or borrowing, and proposes a 1.8% earnings levy above £6,240 to raise an £18.5 billion cost for a care service.

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