Andy Burnham told: Don't tax young Londoners to pay for landmark social care reforms

Andy Burnham is being urged not to hit young people with higher taxes to raise billions to tackle Britain’s social care crisis.

The Islington South and Finsbury MP argued that the “boomer” generation should fund the landmark reforms rather than younger people.

Dame Emily Thornberry

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Speaking at an event organised by More in Common at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, the senior London MP said: "There are the boomers like me who are about to hit social care.

“Look at everything we have had... it's about time some of our huge (aggregated) wealth... that we think of a new way of moving that so we can pay for social care, not least because we are most likely to benefit from it."

On younger people paying to improve social care, she added: "Absolutely we should not be asking the under 30s, who have to pay off student loans, rent, and Lord knows what else.

“We can’t be asking them to pay for social care as well."

Many young Londoners are unable to afford a home in parts of the capital

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He said: "We already have a sense among young people, a deep alienation of generational unfairness because of the costs of higher education, lack of housing, the number of NEETS and people who can’t get into the job market.

“We can't turn around to those people and say it’s their job to pay for the care of people who have had rather luckier innings."

On ending the “Triple Lock”, which means the State pension rises by inflation, wage increases or 2.5%, which ever is the highest, he added: "We have to put that kind of choice to that generation of people and bring the public with us."

Appearing on the morning media round for the Government, Education Secretary Lucy Powell dodged questions over how the social care changes should be funded.

She declined to “speculate” on whether reforms to the “Triple Lock” would be in Labour’s next general election manifesto but reassured elderly people that it would not be changed during this Parliament.

Andy Burnham rehearses his keynote address on stage at the ACC in Liverpool

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In his keynote speech to Labour’s rally, Mr Burnham was set to pledge to tackle the issues politicians “usually avoid” amid mounting speculation over the future of the “Triple Lock”.

The Prime Minister was expected to use his address to set out a new course for a “Britain where people feel the country has their back again”.

Echoing the Liverpool conference’s slogan of “Hope again”, Mr Burnham was set to tell party members that “hope comes from honesty and from saying the things politicians usually avoid”.

He was also due to announce a new publicly-owned “Great British Grid” in a bid to bring UK energy costs down in line with European nations within a decade.