Kemi Badenoch tells PM not to raise taxes to fund social care
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham demanding that social care reform be funded through spending cuts rather than tax increases or borrowing. She emphasized that any solution must protect the savings of individuals who have planned for their future.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing political tension in the UK regarding fiscal policy and the funding of essential public services like social care.
Image source, Getty Images By Ella Kipling Published 26 July 2026 Kemi Badenoch has written to the prime minister asking him to "rule out any tax rises or increased borrowing" to fund social care reform.
In a letter to Andy Burnham, the Conservative Party leader said she would be happy to work with him to find a solution, but only if he sticks to her party's "two core principles".
She said any reform must be funded by reducing current spending and not raising taxes, and also be fair to those who have "made provisions and saved up over the course of their lives".
Burnham is expected to make a speech on adult social care this week. A No 10 source said this was part of his plan to "run towards problems that have been neglected".
Burnham to address social care, youth unemployment and devolution
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