The prime minister and Andy Burnham outline a plan to address the social care crisis, calling it a major dereliction of public duty and promising cross-party talks to find a consensus on reform.

Andy Burnham, the Labour leader, is pushing for rapid reform of England's social care system and has indicated he will use political capital to accelerate changes, warning that inaction could jeopardize the NHS.

Baroness Louise Casey will lead a commission on social care and announce the Big Conversation on Care ahead of a major review, inviting public input on funding, the role of the state, and the design of a future system.

Labour signals that difficult funding decisions may be required to fund reform, while promising to respect manifesto commitments on income tax, national insurance, and VAT.

Labour's stance could include tax rises as part of reform, but with assurances not to increase workers' income tax, national insurance, or VAT in the near term.

Discussions touch on potential funding proposals to support reform.

The stance is that reforms should not unduly burden benefit claimants, especially young people, but should promote better use of opportunities.

Supportive policies may include conditional enhancements—tightening benefit eligibility while ensuring access to opportunities and mental health support where needed.

There is historical context of reform attempts stalling before, with past proposals earning labels like a 'dementia tax' or 'death tax' and chronic underfunding.

England's care funding differs from the NHS, with means testing and limited universal coverage compared to other UK nations, leading to high costs with limited public funding for some individuals.

Data show many care recipients self-fund, with about 23% of community care users and 37% of care home residents paying out of pocket.

Ed Davey and Lib Dems advocate private involvement under regulation but oppose profiteering and excessive profits among providers.