Labour offers to help Tories over ‘difficult decisions’ on care of old

Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham warned politicians were in danger of failing millions of older people amid reports the Treasury was stalling over plans for reform.

The Government had been due to publish its response to the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission – which drew up a blueprint for reform – last autumn.

But the BBC reported it had been delayed again until next month amid concerns over the fairness and affordability of the plans.

Under the plans, the amount individuals had to pay out for social care before the State stepped in would be capped at £35,000, at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £1.7bn a year.

Downing Street yesterday refused to say whether the planned White Paper on adult social care would now be published before the summer recess.

Mr Burnham said Ministers now needed to show “political courage” and he offered to suspend normal party rivalries in order to enable them to take the difficult decisions involved.

“I think it is possibly fear of the political impact that is making the Government step back.

“The offer I would make today to the Government is almost to suspend politics as usual to give them the space to bring forward some difficult options without the usual point-scoring.

“That is really what we have been trying to do through the cross-party talks. I really want those talks to succeed because how depressing would it be for the millions of older people to see politicians fail to grasp this nettle?”