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Lauren Edwards, who’s bringing back the assisted dying bill, has responded to Andy Burnham’s comments. She argues improving social and palliative care can go hand in hand with assisted dying as per some other nations. She also notes a 4 year implementation period for the bill.

This all makes for the reverse dynamic that Starmer brought. His support created a permissive environment for Labour MPs to vote for the AD bill. Burnham’s opposition to having the debate now means they’d sort of be defying him by voting for it.

BREAKING: Andy Burnham says the assisted dying debate should wait until after palliative care and social care have been fixed. “It’s very challenging to introduce that wider debate” when the systems are in crisis, he says. ‘Not now’, in other words.

Burnham says the mistake of the Brown government was to bring forward social care reform too close to an election. He says that’s why he’s publishing Casey’s review sooner - further from the next election. He jokes that again proves he’s not planning an early election.

“I would never forgive myself if I left without having tried” to fix social care, despite the headlines and “scare stories” about care reform, says Burnham. Again, he is saying he is willing to burn through significant political capital to finally reform the sector if need be.

Burnham announces: 1. Casey will bring forward her review by a year to summer 2027. He wants it to focus on creating a National Care Service that is ‘highly integrated’ with the NHS. 2. He will look at improving pay and progression of social care workforce. 3. Cross party talks to begin today.

“It’s shameful” and a “major dereliction of duty” that Parliament hasn’t solved the social care crisis, Burnham says. “The current situation is, frankly, bad for everybody. It’s certainly bad for the people who don’t get the care that they need.”

Burnham says carers shouldn’t be the lowest paid people, they should be the best paid people. He speaks personally about his dad’s Alzheimer’s and thanks carers who’ve moved here from other countries (a huge percentage) - “We appreciate you”. “It is hugely skilful”, he says.

Louise Casey makes the point that care is underpaid compared to the NHS - another example of a Cinderella service so painfully laid bare during Covid-19. Care workers get an average annual salary of £23k. NHS healthcare worker starts on £25k. We undervalue care as a society.

Kemi Badenoch can’t make it so the Conservatives will be represented instead by Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew.

Burnham starting his day by visiting a care home in London this morning. Could today finally be the start of concerted and consensual efforts to reform the funding of social care? It’s a massive ask…

Sir Ed Davey accepts Andy Burnham’s invitation to a (virtual) meeting to discuss social care. Will Kemi Badenoch? Consensus has eluded Westminster for a generation.

But we don’t expect tomorrow to bring any details on the model he wants to design - this looks to be a long period of consultation and negotiation before we arrive at concrete proposals.

Burnham will say: “We can carry on passing the problem to the next generation, or we can face it head on and work together to build a care system that gives people dignity, security and the support they deserve.” He will expedite the Casey commission which is already looking at social care.

NEW: Andy Burnham will make a major speech on the funding of social care tomorrow. He will also invite Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey to meet with him to kick off cross-party conversations on reform.

First @YouGov poll of the Burnham premiership shows a tight contest, with a small +1 point bump for Labour. Best result for Labour since January, but movements within margin of error. Continues the trend of a narrowing race between Reform, Labour and Tories in recent months.

I doubt that their position on assisted dying has any great influence on their appointment by the way. We still have very little idea of how Andy Burnham wants to tackle the issue of assisted dying.

The Dept of Health now has three ministers of state who are all vocal supporters of assisted dying: Diana Johnson Karin Smyth Alison McGovern James Frith joins the dept at a more junior level and is vocally opposed. Important cos DHSC has huge role in implementing any law.

Opponents continue to insist that the bill is flawed and dangerous. They argue that the last thing Burnham needs is another divisive debate over AD, which split Labour last time. But supporters would be equally enraged if the bill was allowed to fail again. Tricky.

Supporters of the bill still believe they have enough backing to get it past second reading. But they admit that the challenge will be time - again. Starmer's govt allowed extra days for the bill, which even then ran out of road in the Lords. Will Bunrham's govt do the same?