Prime Minister Andy Burnham has set out a radical policy programme at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, placing universal social care, public health-driven housing reforms, and state pension restructuring at the centre of a new "social contract" modelled on the principles pf the Beveridge Report, “Social Insurance and Allied Services,” from the 1940s.
In his first conference address as Prime Minister, Burnham described social care reform as a historic moral imperative, invoking the memory of his late father Roy – who was in residential care prior to his recent death – and recalling how his grandmother Kitty had her engagement ring stolen in a care home. Addressing care staff directly, Burnham said: "I see you, I thank you and I am sorry that my profession has let down yours for so long".
To create a person-centred National Care Service "free at the point of use that starts in the home" where "everyone contributes and everyone is covered", Burnham confirmed the government will "go through the pain barrier" by overhauling the state pension triple lock from April 2030.
Under the revised model, annual uplifts will guarantee increases matching either Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation or 2.5%, ending the automatic match with average earnings growth while keeping value relative over time. He confirmed the change would generate significant funding for care while assuring that low-income pensioners would pay no income tax during this Parliament.
Linking environmental living conditions directly to public health outcomes, Burnham turned to the private rented sector, stating: "We don't let people sell food which damages health, so why allow it with homes?" Under the proposals, local authorities will be granted enhanced statutory powers to acquire empty homes and requisition properties from landlords who fail to rectify substandard conditions.
The domestic platform also featured major interventions across utilities, the cost of living, and democratic structures:
- Immediate VAT energy relief: An £850 million intervention will remove VAT from domestic electricity bills starting this Thursday, cutting roughly £45 from the average household energy bill ahead of winter price cap increases.
- Transport: Reaffirmed support for household budgets by capping bus fares at £2.
- Water system nationalisation: Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will present a strengthened Water Bill to repeal Margaret Thatcher's ban on public ownership, initiating a 10-year transition towards public control while closing executive bonus loopholes and sanctioning failing water companies.
- Energy infrastructure: Launch of a publicly owned Great British Grid to challenge private transmission operators, lower connection queues, and reduce energy bills.
- Democratic reform: Establishment of an all-party national commission on electoral reform, with a formal commitment to contest the next general election on a manifesto pledge to introduce proportional representation (PR).
