Starmer lambasts Johnson for breaking manifesto pledges on social care

  • 9/8/2021
  • 00:00
  • 10
  • 0
  • 0
news-picture

Keir Starmer has lambasted Boris Johnson over what he called a series of broken promises over social care and the NHS, with the prime minister declining to say his new policy would prevent people having to sell their homes to pay for care, or clear the NHS backlog. The first prime minister’s questions since the Commons returned to all-physical sittings had a notably boisterous atmosphere, with the Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, stopping proceedings several times to call for quiet. Starmer used all his questions to pressure Johnson over the plan to increase national insurance to finance social care and, in the shorter term, help clear a backlog of NHS procedures caused by Covid, that MPs will vote on later on Wednesday. The new regime will limit the total amount anyone will have to pay for their care to £86,000, excluding food and accommodation. Starmer noted the Conservative’s 2019 manifesto pledge that an eventual plan for social care would guarantee that no one would need to sell their home to pay for it, asking: “Does that guarantee still stand?” The Labour leader cited the example of someone with total assets of £186,000 who accumulates a care bill of £86,000, saying: “Where does the prime minister think that they’re going to get that £86,000 without selling their home?” Johnson did not answer either question, saying instead that the government was “taking the tough decisions that the country wants to see”, and that the care plan was “first time that the state has actually come in to deal with the threat of these catastrophic costs”. Starmer, who also condemned the use of national insurance to raise the money as unfair on working people, responded: “The truth is his plans don’t do what he claims. People will still face huge bills, many homeowners will have to sell their homes.” The bulk of the £36bn expected to be raised by the national insurance increase over the first three years it exists will be directed not to social care but towards more NHS treatments, with ministers saying this balance will be changed once the backlog is cleared. Asked by Starmer to guarantee that this would happen within the current parliament, Johnson again dodged the question, saying: “We at least have a plan to fix the backlogs.” Starmer replied: “It was a yes/no question. You either clear the backlog or you don’t. And he can’t even say that he’ll do that. There we have it. Working people will pay higher tax. Those in need will still lose their homes to pay for care, and he can’t even say if the NHS backlog will be cleared. He gesticulates, but they are all breaking manifesto promises and putting up taxes on their working constituents.” Johnson repeatedly challenged the Labour leader to say what his alternative plan would be, and to ask whether his party would vote against the plan later in the day. Starmer replied: “His plan is to impose an unfair tax on working people. My plan is to ensure that those with the broadest shoulders pay their fair share. That is the difference.”

مشاركة :