London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2025

Scottish Labour leader pledges nearly £1bn to provide free care for older people

Scottish Labour leader pledges nearly £1bn to provide free care for older people

Anas Sarwar believes totally integrating social and health care is essential to NHS reform
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has pledged to spend nearly £1bn to provide free residential care for all elderly people and free home care in a bid to address Labour’s slump in support.

Sarwar said Scottish Labour planned to expand the ethos of the NHS, which provides free care regardless of income, to the social care service. He said totally integrating social and health care provision was an essential prerequisite for NHS reform.

“We can’t rebuild our NHS without a functioning and strong care service. That is the key to renewing our NHS for the future,” he told Scottish Labour’s spring conference in Glasgow in his first conference speech as leader.

“Care needs are intrinsically linked with health needs, so it is time we started treating health and care like one system.”

The party would abolish rules that require over-65s who are better off to use their own savings and equity in their homes to fund residential care, at a cost of £412m, and provide fuller free care for those at home, for another £519m.

In another proposal designed to outbid and outflank the Scottish National party among Labour’s target voters, Sarwar committed his party to introducing a basic wage of £15 an hour for care workers, after first raising it to £12.

Those policies, he said, would be funded from the extra money for health and social care from the UK Treasury, expected to reach £1.8m in the next financial year and funded by Rishi Sunak’s decision to increase national insurance payments to fund the NHS post-Covid.

Elected leader 10 weeks before last year’s Holyrood elections, where Labour clung on to 22 seats, again coming third behind the Conservatives, Sarwar faces another stern test at May’s council elections. In 2017, Labour also came third, losing 133 seats and control of Glasgow, ending decades of Labour domination of the city.

Sarwar hopes Labour’s surge in popularity at UK level under Keir Starmer may help revive Scottish Labour’s popularity. But with the SNP under Nicola Sturgeon still buoyant in the polls, he remains cautious about its chances.

As part of his efforts to update the party’s image, Scottish Labour unveiled a new thistle logo earlier this week, replacing the party’s red rose logo, which was introduced nationwide by Peter Mandelson in the 1980s.

Sarwar confirmed on Friday that he intends to pull Labour back towards the centre ground. Party officials disclosed on Wednesday that Scottish Labour had pulled in nearly £1m in donations since he became leader, eclipsing the £250 donated in 2020 under his predecessor.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
×