Can Labour and the Lib Dems work together to fix social care? | Election 2024 | New Statesman

Wes Streeting has praised the Liberal Democrats and urged other parties to work with Labour on health and social care. Can it work?
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Social care reform is likely to one of the biggest issues facing the next government. Ed Davey and the Liberal Democrats have made strong statements about their commitment to improving social care in the UK, and Conservative Andrea Leadsom has said she would be willing to work with a Labour government on the issue. Could a cross-party effort find a solution? Hannah Barnes and Rachel Cunliffe discuss on the New Statesman podcast.
Also in this episode:
Why Labour are putting Rachel Reeves front and centre this week
New peers: why “phenomenal public servant” Theresa May will be a good addition to the House of Lords.
Read more: In the Lib Dem manifesto, Ed Davey reveals a party remade
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The UK general election will take place on July 4, 2024 - and the New Statesman will be with you every step of the way.
Our journalists including Hannah Barnes, Andrew Marr, Rachel Cunliffe, Freddie Hayward and Ben Walker will bring you analysis of the Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, Green and Reform election campaigns as well as the best polling analysis and reaction from around the UK.
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Watch all the latest episodes of the New Statesman podcast here: • The New Statesman Podcast
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[@denniswinters3096]

I'd like to see the Lib Dems become the official opposition. The Tories are redundant.

[@davidrathbone5581]

Drag the Overton window *all* the way back left

[@chrissaltmarsh6777]

The Tories are currently poisonous. As are the latest Farage mob. Lib-Dem OK, but a sensible rightish group would be good for political structure. Perhaps that will grow, although I wouldn't vote for such anyway.

[@GamerX13X]

Labor politician: we all gotta work together on this issue that is a major public concern. Conservative politician: Aha! See, we told you they would raise taxes. This is why they're getting smacked

[@rafd3593]

This is another reason for supporting Labour and/or the LibDems.

[@user-ol6rd7pl5t]

Please, please, please do let's have all or at keadt most of the parties working together in the vest interests of the country instead of them working against each other in their own interests as we've had for far too up until now. Then we will be able to see which parties really do put the nations interests first. The first step towards PR, please.

[@VinceLammas]

There probably is a good case to rebalance council tax formulas as well as finding a better solution for business rates. The reform of NHS and Social Care should be addressed on a cross-party basis and we need to understand that fixing the problems will take a decade.

[@andybrice2711]

Business rates really seem to be a major factor killing retail. We're still taxing shops as if high-streets are paved with gold. Whilst Amazon operates out of cheap industrial units and offshore offices.

[@KernowFishy]

The Tories have you (the press) obsessing about tax cutting , but how the hell will we stop the collapse of public services if we follow their shambles of an approach ?

[@arthur1670]

It’s got to get fully funded integrated into nhs

[@MrTzimisces]

So a continuation of the privatised model that extracts everything for corporate profits and shareholder payments? Great. Can't wait 🙄

[@wellofcrooks]

You had me til you said not to milkshake Farage, going out the door for him should be like an episode of Get Your Own Back

[@michaelritson1678]

Labour and Lib Dens have worked together before and it was an absolute disaster.

[@KernowFishy]

Tories working alone has been multiple disasters wrapped up into an omni cluster ****

[@dereks1264]

On the subject of threats against those in public life, I would remind everybody that two days ago was the eighth anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox.

[@kazimmoosaimam6233]

Yes whilst Labour party and Liberal Democrats party should always AND they will always work together all in together provided they will always help everyone and especially always all poor people and always give them home, jobs and more. And always remember very well alot and will always never trust bloody conservatives Tories at all

[@erongi233]

The benefits are cheaper wages and a cheap alternative compared with investment in automation .The same people whoadvocate diversity advocate globalisation. The economic benefits go to profits and the social cost goes to everyone else

[@kazimmoosaimam6233]

And also make rehab to always work very well alot on all humans beings treatment

[@kazimmoosaimam6233]

And always bring all prices down and whilst always to agree to always remember very well alot always never increased prices to go very high at all especially for poor people who really can't afford that at all also for their shopping as well and same always in all over around the world

[@PeppermintPatties]

Social care needs to stop being a tax on disability. There are 14+million disabled people in the UK. Not all of us that rely on it are old. Then, labour should deal with WHY there are 14 million disabled people.

[@soton5teve]

Decriminalisation Regulation, and Legalisation of Cannabis and Shrooms. Boosting the economy by Billions ✅ & save Billions more in healthcare ✅ plus taking it out of hands of criminals, and stopping people being needlessly criminalised

[@vincentablett2055]

Awesome content! But What’s happened to Freddie? Missing him in the videos

[@JoshuaBarretto]

Been called up for national service by Sunak

[@methanedirigible]

He’s got his final GCSE exams today! Wish him luck 🤞

[@catherinemartin6258]

Yes they could 👍🏻

[@mrsulzer66]

Not without raising taxes, which probably most of society would be willing to pay for. No amount of waffle and aspirations of growth will cut it

[@fathobbit6160]

The current plans for a cap on care costs at £80,000, introduced by Johnson and kicked into the long grass by the Conservatives, is due to come into force in October 2025. Labour may decide to stick with this framework.

[@stevenwilliamson6236]

Theresa hostile environment May?

[@kazimmoosaimam6233]

And also I don't really care at all for the people addicted wants drugs or not. But whilst always they should never never have it at all. And drugs can harm people and the drugs will kill people. And also that is why I really say always help people and always give them very good medication as well and always give them very good treatment as well so that they will always always live very well and always have a very good life as well Inshallah. And the same always all over around the world as well And always keep NHS in all everything forever Inshallah

[@g.p616]

New Statesmen already making excuses for the Labour government’s performance !😂😂😂

[@davidr1424]

Why are we not seeing more of Yvette Cooper?

[@kazimmoosaimam6233]

And drugs should always be destroyed and banned forever Inshallah

[@cammrose]

Seems disingenuous to talk about how abuse of MPs and candidates is unacceptable without mentioning Diane Abbott or Apsana Begum

[@SilvioFYT]

I've watched lots of videos on the LibDems and still have no idea what they stand for???

[@kazamshah4543]

Basically, the Tories and Labour rolled into one. And probably the most pointless party in UK politics. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@kazimmoosaimam6233]

Inshallah

[@SamUploads420]

Do trans people feel safe?

[@TW-dj5zq]

As we all know, a man identifying as a woman is more important and deserves more safety than women or girls. The way Rosie has been treated by the Labour Party is deeply shameful.

[@andybrice2711]

Laws may reasonably be used to keep people safe. But whether people _feel_ safe is a personal issue not within the remit of legislation.

[@grahamepigney8565]

Plenty of great topics addressed by the New Statesman, a paucity of presenters and experts, with the notable exception of Andrew Marr.

[@kevoreilly6557]

Not ruling something out means they’ll do it, but he did rule it out, just not explicitly …. What drivel

[@circleseven5115]

Finally! Someone else notices that Rachel Reeves sounds like Mummy Rabbit (also Nanny Plum from Ben and Holly, voiced by the same actress). Once you notice you can’t unhear it!

[@robertbones326]

Second

[@user-ol6rd7pl5t]

Do your parents know you're playing on the computer again.

[@_Stroda]

I'm only a few minutes in, so perhaps this will come up later, but something that generally seems to be omitted from discussions around heath/social care is age. (seems not) The recipients of care are generally older. The people paying for it are younger. We have had nearly 15 years of policies that have hurt younger generations whilst protecting, or benefiting, older generations. If the approach to improving health and social care is simply going to be higher taxes, the most obvious rises are, again, going to hit younger, working people, and the end result will be that older, often retired, people benefit. Say that heath and social care do improve for a time, will those paying for the improvements be guaranteed to receive the same care when they're old? I earn just under the higher rate threshold. I'll most likely be above it by the end of the year. My effective tax rate, given that I pay the 'graduate tax' (because, in order to get into my profession I, absurdly, had to go to get a degree) will be significantly higher than most older people experienced at my age, or ever. I've just about saved enough that, without moving too far away, I may be able to buy a 2 bedroom flat by the end of the year. That will cost me something like £240k. The mortgage will, again, be beyond what most older people experienced. So, despite earning above average, just to get a mortgage on a small flat (rather than paying off the mortgage of... An older person, who benefited from previous policies - a theme may be emerging), 50/50 that I'll even have a garden, I'm not going to be left with a whole lot of disposable income. And a lot of the hints seem to be that even more of what I earn may be taken to support, by and large, older people. And I should also be saving significantly more than I'm able to for my retirement because, despite all the lovely triple lock talk, the odds of people my age retiring at a reasonable age and receiving anything meaningful from the state are... What exactly? Probably not too great. A very cursory glance on Indeed shows that a similar role to mine in the US could see me earning something like $100-120k. This coming with health insurance. And I'd be taxed less. A lot of fuss is made about millionaires and billionaires running away from London (despite it being a fairly unique city that offers so much more than near enough anywhere else on the planet) if taxes are raised upon them. But what real difference does a slightly higher tax burden make to these people? How many will really ditch what a city like London offers just to retain a little bit more of their wealth? Whereas people like myself, younger professionals earning decent but not particularly impressive money - what difference would an increased tax burden make? Well, it could mean that someone is no longer able to afford their mortgage or rent. Meaning they have to downsize from what is often already quite 'downsized' accommodation. Or that they have to move further away from work, spending more time and money commuting. And yet these people, like myself, often without children, are in many cases quite able to move away. It's already clearly an issue with doctors. I know it's not fashionable, either among those to the left or the right, to care about the 'plight' of professionals in the UK, but what impact would driving them from the country have?

[@terrypankhurst7601]

You do realise that one day you will be old?

[@_Stroda]

@@terrypankhurst7601 Clearly you didn't read what I wrote, as I specifically referenced this. I.e. will the same public health care be available when those of us who will pay for the improvements reach old age? Will there be a meaningful state pension? What age will younger people have to work to before they can access it? It's far from certain that younger, working people, who will ultimately pay for any improvements largely focused upon the current older generations, will receive the same benefits as they age. And by paying more, they're put in a position where they're unable to make meaningful savings to protect against this. To what extent is it fair, or in the long term interests of the country, for the young to pay for the shortsightedness of generations of which the majority voted in such a way as to create the current mess?

[@methanedirigible]

@@_StrodaIn fairness to Terry, no one’s gonna read your massive post.

[@_Stroda]

@@methanedirigible 30 seconds of reading is pretty hard, isn't it? Just like forming coherent, informed views on things. Perhaps we should acknowledge this and radically overhaul our electoral system so that only those with superhuman powers of attention get to vote?

[@methanedirigible]

@@_Stroda I probably agree with most of your opinions. But come one - you think Reform voters are gonna read blocks of text? These people can barely read the tripe printed in The Sun below pictures of topless women and footballers.

[@frankbrennan1619]

No.

[@methanedirigible]

Cheers Frankie boy - useful contributions as usual. 👍

[@wongxihan5806]

First

[@user-ol6rd7pl5t]

Do your parents know you're playing on the computer again.

[@methanedirigible]

@@user-ol6rd7pl5t Do _your_ parents know you’re copying and pasting again?

[@user-ol6rd7pl5t]

@@methanedirigible Not unless they've found a way to reverse the cremation process

[@mentality-monster]

Not sure Labour has any intention of fixing anything. Their strategy seems to be telling anyone more than one degree anyone left of centre that they're not interested in their vote, some supply side economics nonsense and saying "we're not the tories" or "Liz Truss" repeatedly.

[@davidfenton4387]

In a word....NO. Davey and Labour, pure comedy gold.

[@patrickobrien5066]

This would be the biggest nightmare that would happen to our country. Vote Reform let’s get this country changed once and for all. We can not continue down this same road or we are finished as a country on the world stage we will be fu.k.d

[@piccalillipit9211]

Yeah lets have a fascist country

[@pipoo1]

The only party that depose the Tories into third place are the Lib Dems they did that in May they won more councillors and councils than the Tories, the Lib Dem’s won 520 more councillors than Reform, who won 2.

[@patrickobrien5066]

@@pipoo1 wow then we would be well and truly fu.k.d

[@kevoreilly6557]

Vote Reform, because Brexit only go us to our knees.

[@senna4281]

What a load of rubbish you both are taking

[@chrisbowser]

I am with Reform here. People should pay for their own care. Can’t afford it? sell your house. Introduce insurance now for those under 50 for example

[@_Stroda]

I wouldn't trust them to implement anything remotely sensible but the sole redeeming feature of Reform is, I think, that they're raising this issue.

[@bliss9654]

@@_Stroda i wouldn't trust anything the liblabcon offered, I haven't voted for any party in 30 yrs, I'm ex labour and I'm voting reform.

[@daviddunmore8415]

Until you have to sell your house and even that won't cover the cos of your treatment. Try paying for Cancer treatment in the USA, the 'Insurer' providing your 'cover' will do everything they can to not pay out.

[@user-ol6rd7pl5t]

The only reason Farage wants an private insurance system is because he intends to use money he's earned from Reform UK Ltd to buy up shares in the insurance companies & private hospitals.

[@methanedirigible]

What if you don’t have a house to sell?