Conservatives and Labour told to ‘grow up’ and tackle social care crisis as unpaid carer tells his story

Published

1 year ago

June 21, 2024

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The architect of the government’s delayed reforms to social care has told Sky News politicians need to “grow up” and tackle the crisis in the sector.

Amid a bitter election row over public spending, Sir Andrew Dilnot said he believed the two main parties were reluctant to discuss care reform for fear of being accused of plotting future tax hikes.

Sir Andrew – whose 2011 report laid out several key measures adopted by the government – described social care as the “biggest risk that isn’t managed” that the country faces.

He said: “Four out of five people are going to need social care before they die, we should grow up and face it.”

“I think politicians are reluctant to talk about it firstly because they’re worried about anything that means an increase in public spending and therefore possible taxation,” he added.

The implementation of a cap on care costs, unveiled by Boris Johnson, was delayed in 2022 until October next year.

The policy promised to limit the amount anyone in England will spend on personal care over their life to £86,000.

Speaking to Sky News on the campaign trail, Rishi Sunak said those charging reforms were still “on track”.

Labour has not explicitly committed to the cap in its manifesto, but a party source confirmed that it would also bring in the reforms as planned.

While the Liberal Democrats have made social care a key part of its policy offering, the sector has barely featured in the campaigns of the main two parties.

The cost of unpaid care

Rob Powell

Political correspondent

@robpowellnews

Norman Phillips is a carer for his wife Ros – who lives with multiple sclerosis and dementia.

Initially he was able to combine work with his caring responsibilities but as Ros’s condition worsened, he took early retirement.

“It was the stress and strain of trying to work… and saying look I’m terribly sorry, but I’ve got to turn around and go back to Stevenage because I can’t find anyone to look after Ros… that was tolerated for a while because I always got the work done… but then it went a bit pear shaped and… I collapsed in the street,” he said.

The couple found help hard to come by and after Norman suffered an injury, they were forced to sell their home to settle care-related debts.

“My kids learned a long time ago that their inheritance is gone… we don’t have any money left. We didn’t have any money left a while back,” Mr Phillips said.

Ros is now subject to an NHS continuing healthcare plan after Norman suffered a breakdown earlier this year and authorities decided he was unable to carry on caring for his wife.

This includes round the clock care for Ros – something Norman says wouldn’t have been needed if a lower level of help had been made available earlier.

He said: “They’ve got six million of us unpaid carers. If they… help us, we can help the system.

“But what’s happened to me, you know, is the system just kept backing away and backing away until I cracked.”

The idea of a cap was first suggested by the Dilnot Commission and put into legislation in 2014.

However its planned implementation in 2016 was delayed by the David Cameron government on cost grounds.

An attempt to reform the sector during the 2017 election was widely seen as the reason for Theresa May losing her Commons majority.

In his first speech as prime minister in 2019, Boris Johnson said he had a “clear plan” to “fix the crisis in social care once and for all”.

Reforms were announced in 2021 alongside an increase in National Insurance to fund the wider sector.

However this tax rise was reversed under Liz Truss before the broader changes were delayed under Rishi Sunak.

It means that many people requiring care are still potentially liable for costs that can stretch to thousands of pounds per month.

Sir Andrew said the lack of suitable social care was also having a “knock on effect” on the NHS as older people ended up stuck in hospitals.

“Lots of elective procedures rely on being able to have a bed and if you’ve got one older person… in hospital for twenty days more than is needed, that could easily mean ten hip replacements not being able to happen because there isn’t the bed space,” he said.

Care bosses have also highlighted staffing shortages caused by low pay as another key problem in the sector while councils have called for more funding from the government.

Speaking to Sky News, Rishi Sunak said £8.5bn was put into the NHS and social care shortly after he became prime minister and that his government had focused on “improving the link between social care and hospitals… but also investing in the workforce”.

A Labour source said “the social care chapter in our manifesto includes a commitment over the next decade to build a national care service, and first steps of a fair pay agreement for care workers”.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting also admitted that he wanted a “more ambitious” social policy but that it had to be “affordable” to be included in the manifesto.

Politics

Part of Birmingham ‘can’t be no-go area for Jews’, cabinet minister tells Sky News

Published

16 hours ago

October 19, 2025

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Part of Birmingham 'can't be no-go area for Jews', cabinet minister tells Sky News

Aston in Birmingham can’t become a “no-go area” for Jews, a senior cabinet minister has told Sky News, amid controversy over fans of an Israeli football club being barred from attending a match next month.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said he “profoundly” disagrees with the “approach” taken by a local MP who started a petition calling for fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv to be banned from the Aston Villa game, saying it “cannot be the basis on which our country operates”.

But while he said the government is “working with the relevant authorities” to overturn the move, he can not guarantee it will happen.

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Alongside politicians of all parties, Sir Keir Starmer has strongly criticised the decision, calling it “wrong”, and the government has said it will work with local authorities to ensure both sets of fans can attend.

Speaking to Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Miliband said work is still ongoing.

“We are working with the relevant authorities on this issue, he said. “I think the principle here is we do not want a situation where people of a particular faith or from a particular country can’t come to a football match because of their faith, because of where they’re coming from.”

Asked if Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will definitely be able to attend the game, the minister replied: “I’m not going to say come what may, but I’m giving you a very, very clear indication of what we are working towards, which is that, you know, the fans from both teams can attend the match.”

Phillips put to Mr Miliband that a petition to ban their fans, launched by local independent MP Ayoub Khan, has been signed by nearly 4,000 people. It states the upcoming game is “not a normal match” because the Israeli fans would be arriving in “Aston, a diverse and predominantly Muslim community”.

Asked if Aston is now a no-go area for Jews, Mr Miliband replied: “No and it can’t be. And I’m very, very clear about that.

“I believe we as a country, we pride ourselves on our diversity, but also our tolerance and our hatred of prejudice, frankly. And so we cannot have a situation where any area is a no-go area for people of a particular religion or from a particular country.”

Asked if the local MP was justified in what he wrote, Mr Miliband replied: “No. I profoundly disagree with that approach, with what is being said in that petition, because that cannot be the basis on which our country operates.”

This isn’t how the vast majority of people in the UK operate, he added. “So let’s not take this petition and say it paints a picture of our country.”

Top Tory criticises ‘sectarian politics’

His Tory counterpart, Claire Coutinho, was highly critical of the petition, telling Phillips: “I think politicians need to have the courage to name some of the problems that this country is facing. And one of those problems is political Islam.

“Now, that’s not to say the moderate Muslim community are a problem in Britain, but we have seen in the past extremist Islamism […] and now we are seeing a movement of people – last election, five MPs elected – simply on sectarian politics. That may be higher at the next election.

“So we have to grip this, and part of that is dealing with rising antisemitism. But part of that is dealing with integration.”

The senior Tory MP described the ban overall as a “disgrace”, saying: “I think the message that is being sent to Jewish people in this country is that they’re not welcome here.

“This has always been a safe haven for Jewish people, and I think to say that we could not possibly police Israeli Jewish fans to watch a football match safely is reinforcing that message that Jews are not welcome here. And I think that is wrong.”

Match classified as ‘high risk’

In a statement on Thursday, Aston Villa said Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – which issues safety certificates for every match at the ground – had “formally written to the club and UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend” the fixture at Villa Park on 6 November, as it had been classified as “high risk”.

The club said police had advised of “public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night” – a statement that triggered outrage across the political spectrum.

The move has been condemned by political and Jewish leaders, including Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar, who called it a “shameful decision”.

The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “perverse” to ban away fans because police can’t guarantee their safety, adding: “Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors.”

Sky News has contacted Mr Khan for a response to the comments made this morning.

Former Labour leader and now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn defended his fellow member of the Independent Alliance group in parliament yesterday, writing on X: “Ayoub Khan has been subject to disgusting smears by MPs and journalists, who have wilfully misrepresented his views in order to stoke anger and division.”

He added that he and his colleagues “diligently represent people of all faiths and none in their communities”.

Politics

Chinese tech giants halt Hong Kong stablecoin plans amid Beijing concerns: FT

Published

20 hours ago

October 19, 2025

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Chinese tech giants halt Hong Kong stablecoin plans amid Beijing concerns: FT

Ant Group and JD.com have paused their stablecoin initiatives in Hong Kong after Beijing regulators raised concerns over private firms issuing digital currencies.