British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to fix England's "broken" social care system, describing decades of political failure to provide affordable, decent care as a "major dereliction of duty." Speaking at a London care home, Burnham said the system was as unfair as American healthcare, with vulnerable people bearing the brunt of costs, and announced plans to work across party lines to build a "national care service" alongside the NHS. The issue is personal for Burnham, whose father lives with Alzheimer's, and he acknowledged his own past failure to reform care as health secretary in 2009.

Burnham has appointed social welfare expert Louise Casey to lead a public "Big Conversation" on reform, and has invited opposition parties to talks, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats confirming attendance while Reform UK said it was not invited despite leading in opinion polls. He signalled he was willing to risk unpopularity, including potential tax rises, to improve pay and conditions for care workers and to review how much people must pay before receiving state-funded care, as well as the role of profit-making private care home operators.