NATIONAL CARE SERVICE.
Andy Burnham’s rise to Downing Street has been spectacular. Six weeks ago, some polls had him in a neck and neck race for defeat at the hands of Reform in Makerfield.
His first ten days, never mind the fabled hundred days by which politicians are often judged, has seen a blizzard of announcements which have nibbled at the edges of the cost-of-living crisis.
The most important is Burnham’s pledge to do something about the social care crisis. You know the one. Got cancer? No problem the free NHS will give you excellent treatment. Living with Dementia for 10 years? Say goodbye to the house you hoped to hand on to your kids or give up your job to care for your relative. It has to end, but to decide how we pay for it to end, we need a government with a big majority.
Hey presto Andy Burnham has a 165 majority and which Labour MPs are going to revolt over the setting up of a National Care Service. Besides the Prime Minister is reaching out for all party consensus (although calling parties in at 16 hours’
notice and ignoring Reform is not the way to achieve it), however I bet the seventy odd Lib Dems will back it in the end. So, bite the bullet Andy. Speed up the Casey review even more so it is ready for the Budget. Risk the howls of anguish and the sort of unpopularity you avoided in Greater Manchester and pay for it by one or more of the following measures. General tax, a special levy, wealth/property tax, paying National Insurance beyond retirement, mandatory insurance for the longer term. He could try and get away with a cap on costs or free personal care only, but I hope he is brave and radical.
No incoming government would dare take it away.
NORTHERN LIGHTS.
Ten Cabinet members from the North, four from Greater Manchester, a temporary HQ in Heron House, Albert Square, what’s not to like. Nothing really providing real money and decision making is devolved to the mayors of the expanding number of combined authorities throughout the country.
The Chancellor’s attitude is crucial in the devolution agenda. George Osborne got it and hopefully John Healey (a proper no nonsense centrist Labour politician) gets it too.
Making sure Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is off travelling the world and not plotting at home is a brilliant way to treat your most plausible rival.
I think Wes Streeting was the person who should have been handling the Social Care and continuing NHS challenges. Let’s hope he gets us to 3% defence spending when he gets into talks with the Chancellor who can hardly say we can’t afford it!
Good to see Jonny Reynolds (Stalybridge) back at an enhanced Business Department. It was one of Starmer’s stupidest mistakes to remove him from that post. And the BBC will be pleased that their defender Lisa Nandy (Wigan) is still in place although she should have been promoted from Culture.
In the lower ranks it’s good to see Jim McMahon (Oldham) back in local government and jobs for James Frith (Bury) and Paul Waugh (Rochdale). We should also note the rapid rise of Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley) from backbench to Cabinet table for services rendered in the rise of Andy.
