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Neston MP Clashes with Boris Johnson at PMQs
| Published: 21st May 2021 11:31 |
Justin Madders MP has clashed with the Prime Minister in Parliament over his failure to introduce a long-awaited national system for adult social care payments.
Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders was involved in a fiery exchange with an angry Boris Johnson during Prime Minister's Questions.
Mr Madders, Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care), in a reference to Mr Johnson's first speech outside 10 Downing Street when he was elected as PM in July 2019, told the Commons: "It is now 664 days since the Prime Minister said he had a plan for social care, but the Department for Health and Social Care is advertising at the moment for social care policy advisers to 'develop proposals for reform'.
"Why do that if there is a plan already?
"Every day, more people lose their life savings to pay huge social care costs and we cannot even get a straight answer as to whether the Government has a plan to fix social care, never mind find out what it actually is.
"So just tell us Prime Minister: do you have a plan - yes or no?"
Mr Johnson angrily replied: "Yes is the answer", adding that the Government was finally going to tackle the care issue.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson at PMQs 19 May 2021.
He said the Labour Government had "13 unlucky years for this country" to introduce social care legislation but failed to do so. "This is something that for decades politicians have failed to introduce."
To Labour MPs, he said: "If they want to support it [the social care plan] with their customary resolve, if they want to support it without wibble-wobbling from one week to the next on whatever their policy is - without changing like weather vanes, which is what they normally do - if they want to support it and if they want it back, then I am all ears."
Addressing the nation on his election as Conservative Party leader, Mr Johnson pledged to "fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared".
But Mr Madders has told his constituents: "So where is that plan? There was barely a mention of adult social care in the Queen's Speech. Just a few words before moving onto other topics."
Mr Madders says Labour has repeatedly indicated its willingness to work with the Government to introduce a national care system, as made clear by Shadow Social Care Minister Liz Kendall in a speech to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) Spring Conference.
She said she first worked with ADASS almost 20 years ago on the Institute for Public Policy Research project: ‘From Welfare to Wellbeing: the Future of Social Care'.
"Back then, we said social care was critical to delivering a fairer society," she said.
"We called for a radical shift in support towards prevention, greater devolution of power from central to local government, and for older and disabled people to be seen as co-producers of their own wellbeing and support, not just recipients or consumers of care."
Ms Kendall said: "Our aim isn't just to ‘fix the crisis in social care' - as the Prime Minister has repeatedly promised but failed to deliver.
"Nor is it only to stop people from having to sell their homes to pay for their care - although protecting people from catastrophic care costs is an essential part of any reform.
"Our goal is to transform support for older and disabled people, as part of a much wider ambition to make Britain the best country in which to grow old.
"It is time for the Government to act."
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