Andy Burnham has pledged to put social care reform in England at the centre of his next general election manifesto, proposing a taxpayer-funded national care service that would be free at the point of use. However, The Independent reports that sharply higher energy prices threaten the economic conditions needed to deliver his plans, increasing pressure on chancellor John Healey ahead of his late-October Budget. Burnham said reform would require a fresh electoral mandate, arguing that existing commitments against raising national insurance, income tax or VAT constrained his ability to fix the system sooner.

Figures disclosed to the newspaper suggest oil prices are 154 per cent above their pre-Iran-conflict level on 27 February, while gas prices have risen 43 per cent since the war began. Treasury sources said higher energy prices fuel inflation and borrowing costs and weaken the economy, adding to pressures that include a push to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP. The article says there is no clear funding plan for the care service or Burnham’s promises to remove VAT from energy bills and cap bus fares; Burnham warned that continued failures in social care would ultimately undermine the NHS.