Herald Express: What will Andy Burnham do differently?

Andy Burnham’s first few weeks as Prime Minister could not have gone any differently from his predecessor’s. Starmer entered office fresh from a loveless landslide, receiving no honeymoon, espousing a fatalistic tone that dogged the rest of his premiership.

Burnham, on the other hand, has zeroed in on change. To be fair, he’s not the first to do that. Politicians the world over have done the same. They say they will disrupt the status quo only to backtrack when in office. Even Liz Truss promised to deliver prosperity for all, and we know how that turned out...

But I do have hope that Burnham will stick to his word on at least one issue, and that’s social care. So many Prime Ministers have dodged tackling the crisis in social care. They pay lip service to it, talk about the urgent need for reform, and then launch a commission to delay the difficult decisions.

Starmer followed this play. Johnson did something similar. As have so many others. And all that has done is leave us with a library full of ideas and a social care system that is still broken.

Last week was Burnham’s turn to tackle social care. The set up was sadly familiar: a speech in a care home, trailed with press pieces about how he was unafraid of the hard choices ahead. It all sounded very familiar. But my scepticism faded as soon as Burnham began talking about his dad, who has Alzheimer's.

When he took office, Burnham spoke about how his dad didn’t know he was about to become Prime Minister. And he was unable to be with Burnham's mother in Downing Street. As someone whose family has been impacted by dementia, I found this quite moving.

It gives me hope that something may finally change. Although dementia is just one part of social care, it does epitomise so many things that have gone wrong with the wider system over the last few decades.

Back in June last year I led a debate in parliament about dementia care. At that time, I pointed out that cancer had been mentioned five times more often in parliament than dementia. Despite being the leading cause of death in the UK, dementia is so often hidden in the shadows, not talked about nor acknowledged.

Across the country, there are thousands of people who quietly and lovingly dedicate themselves to caring for someone they love who is living with dementia. These carers are, because of the nature of the condition, often elderly themselves and, because of a postcode lottery, are often left to get on with it themselves without the vital support and advice they so desperately need.

In researching my debate, I was stunned that just 29% of paid carers have any training in dementia. This is a knowledge gap we must close, so families are assured their loved ones are being looked after by specialists who understand the specific needs of dementia patients.

But caring extends well beyond dementia, to lifelong conditions that can start at birth.

So I was genuinely pleased to see Burnham invite Ed Davey to a meeting to discuss his first-hand experience of caring for a very disabled son, and how this has informed his commitment to social care. It's long been a priority area for the Liberal Democrats and we've pushed hard for cross-party talks so we can resolve this for the long term.

For far too long, families have been left to deal with the physical, economic and emotional cost of unpaid care, the crippling financial cost of putting a loved one in a care home and a postcode lottery of support.

Burnham has clearly seen the toll this has taken on his own family, and that experience will hopefully give him the courage to tackle the issue of social care once and for all, along with other political voices so that we can find a solution that lasts the test of time – and not just for those with dementia.