London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 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
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×