Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his Labour Party conference speech on Tuesday to announce the establishment of a National Care Service in the next parliament. The system will provide care for older people at no cost, funded in part by slowing the growth rate of future pension payments. Burnham also committed to expanding social housing and shifting control of water companies to the public sector.

The Prime Minister stated that the initiative will be funded entirely through revenue and tax rises to avoid government borrowing. However, experts warn that residents in England may still be forced to sell their homes to cover care costs unless the government adopts a more expensive model reliant on further tax increases.