Andy Burnham wants to thank the nation’s carers – except, possibly, the one he told us slipped his Granny Kitty’s engagement ring off her finger while she was in a care home a couple of decades ago. I don’t think the Prime Minister is ever quite going to eliminate light-fingered care workers, but he did confirm today that he wants to create a National Care Service which will be free at the point of delivery. This will come into being in the next parliament, assuming he wins it, and he assured us it will be fully-funded, not paid for through more borrowing.

A National Care Service is a policy which will be cheered in households who currently fear that Granny’s home will be lost to care costs

A National Care Service is a policy which will be cheered in households who currently fear that Granny’s home will be lost to care costs

“I accept that I may pay the political price,” he told us, “but someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off.” All very well, but there is something he is not telling us. How to pay for a National Care Service which, according to the healthcare Foundation, could........

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