'Watching my dad's battle means this is personal for me - we WILL fix it': ANDY BURNHAM on dementia

• For confidential advice, call Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456 
• Alzheimer's Society's symptoms checker can help spot the signs of dementia
• READ MORE: How to spot if someone you love has warning signs of dementia 

By ANDY BURNHAM, PRIME MINISTER

Published: 22:30 BST, 8 October 2026 | Updated: 22:49 BST, 8 October 2026

Last month, my dad Roy died. He had been living with dementia for some time. He never knew his son had become Prime Minister, but the staff at his care home put a television in front of his chair so he could watch me arrive in Downing Street.

I know how it feels to lose a loved one to dementia. That's why I'm pleased to support the Daily Mail and Alzheimer's Society's Defeating Dementia campaign.

We'll throw the weight of government behind that effort. Today, I am announcing a £48million partnership to support the Barbara Alliance – named after the late Dame Barbara Windsor – which brings together government, industry, researchers, charities and people with lived experience to overcome the barriers holding back the study of dementia.

I want Britain to be the leading nation in dementia research, making the breakthroughs that change people's lives. So I'm also pleased the Health Data Research Service – the government body that manages access to NHS data for the life sciences sector – will make dementia a priority, to boost clinical trials and deliver new drugs to patients faster.

My dad's carers were amazing. But watching him battle with his condition showed me the system simply doesn't work for those who give and need care. If you get an illness such as cancer, it's awful, but our NHS will give you the best care for free. If you get dementia, you suffer physically, mentally, emotionally and financially – and so do your loved ones.

Andy Burnham attends a leadership hustings in 2015 with his mother Eileen and late father Roy, who died from Alzheimer's disease last month

Mr Burnham fell silent on stage during his first Labour conference speech as PM as he choked with emotion two weeks on from his father's death 

Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.

 Ever since I was health secretary in the last Labour government, I've wanted to change this. Now I'm Prime Minister, it's a personal mission I'm determined to see through.

It can be done. After the Second World War, we created the National Health Service. Its principle endures today – everyone contributes and everyone is covered. The NHS transformed healthcare in our country and gave people peace of mind if they got sick.

Now it's time for a new era of care so people have peace of mind as they get older. We are setting out a new settlement for older people: a National Care Service that provides them with free personal care and a state pension that rises every year, by either inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher, and tracks earnings over time.

Pensioners won't have to spend their life savings on care, and their pension will be on a secure footing for the future.

This is personal for me.

Not just because of my dad, but because this is a country full of fathers and mothers, friends and loved ones, who all deserve to be treated with dignity as they age.

We can win the fight against dementia. We can transform our care system. And we can bring back hope to Britain.