PM Urges Opposition To Think Of Nation And Help Find ‘Cross-Party Consensus’ For Social Care
In his first speech to the House of Commons as Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a challenge to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urging him to think of “the good of the nation” and help find a cross party consensus to improve social care. As the pair debated for the first time the new Prime Minister said the Tories and Labour needed to build consensus in order to end the scandal which sees people having to sell their homes to pay for care in old age.
However, the Prime Minister warned that if Labour refused engage then, the Conservatives would come up with their own plan to fix the issue.
The Prime Minister’s remarks were made in response to a question by Liz Kendall the Labour MP for Leicester West. Who asked: “Does the Prime Minister agree with me, fixing the crisis in social care requires an immediate cash injection as well as long-term funding reform?
“It needs a system that works for disabled adults as well as older people and above all it means deciding that funding cannot be left to individuals and families alone.”
Boris Johnson said: “It is high time that we again tried in this House to work across party to find a cross-party consensus about the way forward because that is absolutely vital.
“If the party opposite is not interested then we will fix it ourselves. I urge them to think of the good of the nation.”
Dr Sarah Wollaston Independent MP for Totnes, who sits on the Health and Social Care Select Committee, has urged the Prime Minister to meet with her to discusses how social care can be funded. Mr Johnson said: “I will of course make sure that I study the suggestions that she has made in her reports and they will of course be taken into account as we come forward with a solution a plan for social care.”
Earlier this week as Mr Johnson took office he vowed that he would protect the elderly from the fear of ‘having to sell your home to pay for the costs of care’. He said his team had drawn up plans to ‘fix’ the social care crisis ‘once and for all’.
