Burnham first proposed a universal system of social care in England in 2009 when he was health secretary under Gordon Brown. He has vowed to spend political capital on the issue as prime minister.

However, he is not the first leader in recent years to pledge to address the issue of adult social care.

In 2019, in his first speech as prime minister, Boris Johnson said the Conservative Party would “fix the crisis in social care once and for all”.

Five years later in July 2024, Sir Keir Starmer faced criticism when Labour scrapped plans for an £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England would need to spend on their personal care over their lifetime.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who has pushed for social care reform, said on Saturday: “This has to be the start of a real effort to end the social care catastrophe.”

He added: “I’ll fight to ensure family carers aren’t forgotten. We need cross-party consensus, and I hope the PM’s door is open.”

Burnham responded to Sir Ed on X, writing: “It most certainly is, Ed. Let’s work together to find some common ground.”