Keir Starmer says social care review should "start a national conversation"

Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who resigned from the Cabinet in May over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership, publicly faulted Starmer for not elevating social care as a higher priority, instead voicing confidence in Andy Burnham to tackle the long-standing crisis. Burnham is expected to detail his approach this week. Meanwhile, a government-commissioned review led by Baroness Louise Casey is examining adult social care, with initial recommendations due later this year. Starmer said that review should prompt a broad public discussion on how care is delivered and paid for. The issue is acute: roughly 14,000 hospital patients in England daily cannot be discharged due to insufficient care options, and individuals with savings above £23,250 receive no local authority assistance, often forcing home sales. Streeting argued that two core questions—what social care should accomplish and how to fund it—remain unanswered by successive governments.