Image source, PA

As Andy Burnham plans to offer free social care services to everyone in England, it may bring back memories of former attempts at changing the system.

Burnham's own party, under previous leader and fomer prime minister Keir Starmer, proposed a national care service, but gave no funding or timeframe to the idea.

Two Conservative attempts to reform the social care system under Theresa May and Boris Johnson's governments also failed previously.

Would scrapping pensions triple lock cover cost of social care reform?published at 10:32 BST

10:32 BST

By Ben Chu, policy and analysis correspondent

There’s been some speculation this morning that Prime Minister Andy Burnham could use his Labour Party conference speech to float the idea of scrapping the triple lock on the state pension to pay for his proposed social care reforms in England.

The triple lock guarantees that the state pension goes up each year in line with either inflation, wage increases or 2.5% - whichever is the highest.

But what the government could save in the long-term from scrapping it is unclear. This is because it is linked to the volatility of people’s future earnings and the rate of inflation.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has estimated that keeping it in place could cost “anywhere between £5bn and £40bn per year”.

And the Resolution Foundation think tank has estimated that scrapping the triple lock now and replacing it with a simple earnings link would only save the government around £650m a yearby the end of the parliament.

That would be well below the estimated annual cost of most social care reform options which have been estimated by the Health Foundation to cost between £4bn and £18.5bn a year.

As Burnham's speech approaches, there has been speculation that in order to fund his plans for social care, he could question the long-term viability of the triple lock policy on the state pension.

The policy, which increases the amount paid in the state pension annually, is expected to add billions to the cost of pensions in future years because of the UK's ageing population.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning, deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell says Labour is "committed to the triple lock" for this Parliament, as part of the pledge it made in its 2024 manifesto.

Pressed on whether the triple lock would be included in Labour's next manifesto going into the next general election, Powell says "we don't write manifestos now, we're delivering the last manifesto".

"We are talking about how we can deal with these big challenges that the country faces, and they are going to be paid for. Some people are already paying for social care, acutely and profoundly."

Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, Powell says the party's social care proposals will be in its next manifesto after a “national conversation” around finding a "long-term solution" to social care, following Baroness Casey’s review.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The prime minister is expected to set out his "vision" for offering access to free social care services to everyone in England.

Adult social care provides state support to help people live more independently, including assistance at home. But the current social care system isn't free, unlike NHS services.

Burnham told the BBC on Sunday he will put his plans before voters at the next general election, saying it would be a system in which "everyone contributes, everyone is covered". He did not rule out tax rises, acknowledging it may be "difficult or unpopular" with some.

Burnham did say the plans won't come into effect until after the general election, as he wanted to stick to the commitments in Labour's 2024 election manifesto, which included a promise not to increase national insurance, income tax or VAT.

Baroness Louise Casey was asked by Burnham to speed up her commission into adult social care in England, and now it's due to be released by April 2027.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the PM was suggesting Labour wanted "more tax rises" to pay for the reforms, adding the Conservatives would not support this.

The triple lock is all about state pensions.

It guarantees that the state pension goes up each year in line with whichever is the highest out of inflation, wage increases or 2.5%.

Introduced in 2010 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government, it was designed to ensure the value of the state pension wasn't overtaken by the increase of the cost of living or incomes of workers.

In its 2024 manifesto, Labour pledged to retain the triple lock for the state pension.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the state pension costs £154bn per year, the largest benefit in the UK. It says spending on the state pension is now £16bn higher than it would have been without the triple lock.

Currently, the age to claim a state pension is 66, but gradually rising to 67 in a phased approach.

The state pension is a payment made every four weeks by the government, to people who have reached the qualifying age and have paid enough National Insurance contributions.

• You can read more about the triple lock here

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The general secretary of the Unite union, Sharon Graham, says taking away the triple lock guarantee for pensions would be "morally wrong".

Speaking to the Radio 4's Today programme, Graham says: "It's important that Labour makes sure that working class people know they are on their side, and this would be a direction of travel that would say the opposite to that."

Instead of "trying to pick the pocket of pensioners", Graham says we need "to move over to the other side of the equation, and look at things like wealth taxes, way before we try to stop something like the triple lock".

"It's wrong, and to be fair to Andy (Burnham) he hasn't said that, we haven't heard that come from Andy, this is a rumour that's been floating around since Sunday," she adds.

Graham has previously commented that scrapping the triple lock would be "electoral suicide".

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Andy Burnham is set to deliver his first Labour Party conference speech as prime minister today.

Burnham will promise "bold and honest" leadership, saying he will outline policies and commitments that form a "serious prospectus" for Britain and offer people more control over their lives.

Ahead of his speech, the prime minister is facing speculation that in his efforts to free up funding for his social care plans, he could question the long-term sustainability of the "triple lock" uprating policy for the state pension.

Downing Street would not be drawn on whether a review is being considered, while ministers have been clear that a manifesto commitment to keep the triple lock for the duration of this parliament stands.

The prime minister is also expected to announce a new government body to invest in Britain's electricity grid, with the aim of bringing UK energy costs in line with other nations in Europe within ten years.

We're also expecting to hear from Housing Secretary Angela Rayner just before midday, ahead of the prime minister's address at 14:00, which you can watch live here.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest updates and analysis from the conference floor.

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In his first Labour Party conference speech as Chancellor, John Healey said the government plans to bring back hope through a "new age of industrialisation", announcing new funding for shipbuilding and manufacturing.

Also addressing the conference this morning were Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, here's what we heard:

• With a month to go until he delivers his Budget, Healey pledged to stick to the fiscal rules, adding that he hopes to "build a more resilient country" than the one left by the Conservatives
• He told conference delegates that the money Labour had to spend in the 1990s "is simply not there now"
• During the speech, the chancellor announced £6bn of new contracts for British shipyards, which he said would help defend the UK for decades to come
• Healey said Rolls-Royce will invest £300 million in British factories in Derby, Bristol, Glasgow and Rotherham, in what he described as a "new age of industrialisation"

• Earlier, Streeting told the conference hall that the government is making a “cast iron guarantee" to honour its promise to Nato allies to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence by 2035
• He also addressed the incident at RAF Fairford yesterday, as he said the UK and the US "will always stand together against those who hate our freedom"

• Meanwhile, Miliband told delegates that the UK will "confront the urgent risks we face from AI", adding that "no tech titan should stand in our way"
• On the Middle East, Miliband said the UK has "reset" its approach to Israel and the Palestinian people under PM Andy Burnham

We're pausing our live coverage for now, but you can read more in our full story here.

A dose of financial reality at the heart of Healey's speechpublished at 14:24 BST 28 September

14:24 BST 28 September

Dharshini David
Deputy economics editor

Image source, Reuters

The Chancellor’s speech leant heavily on the concept of hope, but at its heart was a dose of financial reality.

Whatever the government’s spending ambitions, the indication was the forthcoming Budget would be about fiscal discipline, rather than extra cash.

We do, after all, spend more on interest payments on existing public debt than any government department, apart from health.

But there remains many questions about how the Chancellor will realise goals such as faster growth and better employment opportunities.

The extra funds for apprenticeships will, for example, be a welcome boost – but it’s a relatively small one – and many sectors continue to grapple with higher costs of employing staff, including tax changes imposed by the previous Chancellor.

So, there is much yet to be resolved – and while optimism is crucial for a thriving economy, hope alone won’t do the job.

The reinstatement of the Union Learning Fund, a trade union-run programme to provide workers with extra education, also featured in John Healey's speech.

The chancellor said 180,000 workers had received new training each year through the fund before it was abolished by the Tories in 2021.

But what is it?

Set up in 1998, the aim of the fund has been to help support the most disadvantaged learners in the labour market, focusing on maths and English, and the take-up of high quality apprenticeships.

Employees did not need to be union members to take part in the scheme.

It also focused on digital skills and training for jobs in growing industries, such as advanced manufacturing.

Before it was closed in 2021, the fund was managed and administered by Unionlearn, an organisation run by the Trades Union Congress.

Do we spend more on debt interest than on the Home Office, justice and defence?published at 13:56 BST 28 September

13:56 BST 28 September

By Tom Edgington

Chancellor John Healey criticised the economic record of the previous Conservative governments, telling his party’s conference they “left Britain spending more on debt than the Home Office, defence and justice put together”.

Back in March, the Office for Budget Responsibly (OBR) - the official spending watchdog - forecast debt interest would cost £135bn in 2026-27.

That’s higher than the Home Office, Justice and Defence budgets, which are expected to total £103bn this year.

The OBR is due to update the official debt interest forecast at next month’s Budget.

It’s important to note that debt interest costs have continued to rise under the Labour government. At the start of this month, long-term market borrowing costs climbed to their highest levels since 1998.

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In his speech, the chancellor referred to Alan Milburn's upcoming report into youth unemployment, describing how the Labour minister's ongoing work "lays bare the scale" of the challenges young people face.

This is has been a key focus of Labour since its general election win in 2024, with former PM Keir Starmer describing Milburn's interim report in May as "sobering".

The latest official figures, released last month, suggest 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training (Neet) between April and June 2026 - a 3% increase on the same time last year.

Reacting to these latest figures, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the government was determined to "turn the tide" on the youth unemployment crisis.

The final instalment of Milburn's report - including recommendations for how to tackle the problems outlined - is expected to be published later this year.

Jennifer McKiernan
Reporting from Liverpool

There was clearly a lot of support for John Healey in his first conference speech as chancellor, as he outlined how getting young people into work was key to his vision ahead of his first Budget on 28 October.

As a veteran Labour politician, Healey sprinkled his speech with anecdotes about his time in government that kept delegates laughing, including his tale of lending Gordon Brown his red tie at the 1999 Labour conference.

Notably, some of the biggest cheers were for the re-establishment of the Union Learning Fund - a fund relatively unknown outside the trade union circles who are at the conference in force.

Healey was careful not to say too much about his Budget plans, though offered new announcements about Rolls-Royce factories and Royal Navy floating docks that went down a storm with the party faithful.

Image source, Reuters

Healey has just finished giving his first speech to a Labour conference as chancellor. Here's what we heard:

• Labour will bring back hope through a "new age of industrialisation", he says, announcing the government will commit £6bn for British shipyards, and new docks for new submarines will be built "in Britain, by British workers"
• But the chancellor Healey warns the money New Labour had in the 90s is "simply not there now", and criticises the fiscal situation left to them by the Conservatives. He says he and PM are in "lockstep" on the need to meet the fiscal rules
• It's a warning about what's to come when he delivers his first Budget next month, writes our political correspondent Jack Fenwick

• The chancellor also announces mayors will be given £100m to fund a new apprenticeships scheme, saying: "The best thing we can offer a young person isn’t a benefit payment, it’s a first job with training and a wage"
• "It's not progressive to allow a bigger and bigger benefits bill... this is not just an economic must, this is a moral duty," Healey says

Speech had a defence flavour to it - but key questions on spending remainpublished at 13:04 BST 28 September

13:04 BST 28 September

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent, reporting from Liverpool

This speech had a distinct defence flavour to it, but big questions remain on that area for the chancellor.

Healey resigned as defence secretary, a move that many saw as one of the final nails in the coffin for Keir Starmer’s premiership.

He announced £6bn of new contracts for British shipyards, which he said would help defend the UK for decades to come.

But the chancellor still needs to find almost £5bn in next month’s Budget to fund the Defence Investment Plan.

And he's under pressure to set out when and how the UK will reach 3% of GDP on defence spending.

Expect that to be one of the biggest talking points around Healey in the coming weeks and months.

Healey says "national industrial strength is national security" as he announces the government will commit £6bn of contracts for British shipyards.

Funding will be used to build new docks for new submarines, which Healey says will be built "in Britain, by British workers" and "will defend us all for decades to come".

The chancellor says British trade unions are "full partners in this new age of industrialisation" as he announces the "rebirth" of the Union Learning Fund.

He says 180,000 workers got new training each year through the fund before it was abolished by the Tories, adding that he's proud to reinstate the fund.

Healey says he wants this new learning fund to come with a focus on artificial intelligence, to help "British workers harness AI, not be outrun by it".

He describes AI as "the greatest innovation of our time" which will "transform our society at every level", adding that the UK will also need to "face the serious risks" it poses to national security.

Returning to his analogy about the miners' lamp, Healey says the government "needs to light the way for a new generation" before finishing his speech.

Healey tries to manage expectations at a tumultuous time in global marketspublished at 12:49 BST 28 September

12:49 BST 28 September

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

Image source, PA Media

In the conference hall, Chancellor John Healey is sporting a tie he lent to his predecessor Gordon Brown 27 years ago.

In the first part of his speech he is spelling out the balancing act between talking up economic vibes and the tough message to his Labour colleagues.

That message is also aimed for the markets, and perhaps some of the business leaders I have just seen being shepherded in for his speech.

"I have to level with you that the money New Labour had in the '90s is simply not there now," he says. At the top of his speech he was trying to channel "many reasons for optimism… new leadership, new confidence and new hope".

The chancellor and PM's approach is a conscious contrast to what we heard from their own colleagues in 2024, but he is also managing expectations at a tumultuous time in global markets.

Healey announces Rolls-Royce will invest an extra £300m into its British factories in Derby, in Bristol, in Glasgow and in Rotherham.

"This is the new age of industrialisation, this is the new confidence in Britain lit by this government, driven forward by business," he says.

Healey goes on to say the government will use everything it can to create jobs and industrialise Britain, including directing more of taxpayers' money to British business jobs and innovation.

Image source, UK pool

Healey says when he sees a million youngsters he sees hope not despair.

He says he wants to announce a "down-payment" on the work of Alan Milburn - who is delivering a major report on youth unemployment - and deliver thousands more apprenticeships.

Healey says a local apprenticeship service will be like football scouts for apprenticeships, delivering more apprenticeships for young people.

It will be led by mayors, he says. "They know which firms are hiring and which colleges are delivering and they know which estates have been left behind – that’s what devolution means," he says.

He says the Labour government had planned to start in a few areas, but now every mayor will have a chance to do it, backed by an extra £100m fully funded by savings from the Department for Work and Pensions.

The best thing we can offer a young person isn't a benefit payment, it's first job, with training and a wage, he says.

Healey uses speech to reassure he's a safe pair of handspublished at 12:36 BST 28 September

12:36 BST 28 September

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent, reporting from Liverpool

Much of the talk around Andy Burnham in the weeks leading up to him becoming prime minister focused on how much he’d be willing to spend.

This time last year Andy Burnham, then the mayor of Greater Manchester, caused a stir at Labour conference when he suggested the country needed to stop being in hock to the bond markets.

Those comments led some to believe that a Burnham government may look to spend and borrow more money.

Some of the prime minister's critics worried that approach would spook the markets and lead to even higher borrowing costs.

Burnham has since then sought to reassure people and talked up his belief in economic restraint.

His appointment of John Healey as chancellor was intended to signal that he'd put a safe pair of hands in the treasury.

And he's used this speech to stress that he will stick to the previous government's fiscal rules, designed to keep the bond markets on side.

Economically those around the chancellor feel there is no other option.

But politically that does restrain the government.

One big question being asked by Labour members here will be whether Burnham and Healey can achieve the sort of change they've promised, while sticking to those rules.