There have been trimmings and ornaments: the bus fare cap and the performative opening of a No. 10 North in an office block above a Manchester branch of the Slug and Lettuce. But Burnham’s first major act as Prime Minister is to walk back into the flames that consumed his last stint in high office. In 2010, his attempt at a legacy-defining Beveridge moment – creating a National Care Service – partially cost Labour power. Two failed leadership bids and exile to Manchester followed. Today, Burnham formally announced he’s having another go. ‘I’m making this choice and I’m prepared to put everything I’ve got behind it,’ he said.
For now the Prime Minister is benefitting from the honeymoon glow of a bounce in the polls. That may not be enough. Back in 2010, the British Social Attitudes survey showed public satisfaction with the NHS at an all-time high of 70 per cent. In 2024, it reached an all-time low of 21 per cent; the latest figure is 26 per cent.
No modern government would leave all social care to individuals; there has to be some kind of safety net. The danger of a National Care Service is not only the perverse incentives, the bureaucratic waste and the likely dependence on the immigration Burnham’s government has promised to cut. It is the risk that it transfers even more responsibility from individuals to the government.
