London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 26, 2026

Social care won't get money it needs, warns Jeremy Hunt

Social care won't get money it needs, warns Jeremy Hunt

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said social care "does not actually get as much money as it needs" under government plans for new health taxes.

The Conservative MP was speaking as MPs voted through legislation to establish the £36bn health and social care tax.

Ministers say the extra funding will help the NHS recover from the pandemic, as well as boosting social care.

But Labour and some Conservatives says a tax rise is being rushed through without a proper plan.

The Health and Social Care Levy Bill cleared the House of Commons on Tuesday evening after MPs gave it a third reading by 307 votes to 251, majority 56.

In an usual move, it progressed through all its Commons stages in one day because ministers want it to become law quickly.

It will undergo further scrutiny in the House of Lords at a later date.

Ten Tory MPs rebelled against the government at third reading.

The bill enables ministers to raise national insurance by 1.25 percentage points next year, before a new health and social care levy kicks in, in 2023.

The government says the plans will generate £12bn a year over three years with around 85% of the money raised going to the NHS to help target record waiting lists and £5.4bn going to social care.

Opening the debate, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay said the tax will help deal "with the consequence of Covid, the backlog in care that needs to be tackled but also grasping the nettle in terms of long-term challenges around social care".

And he said senior NHS leaders had made clear that without the additional financial support, the backlog in the heath service could not be properly addressed.

NHS 'gobbles up' funding


But Mr Hunt, who chairs the Health and Social Care Select Committee, said ministers need to be wary of "falling in to a trap" over social care funding.

He said: "Whilst this is a generous settlement, if we are honest, in the next three years, social care does not actually get as much money as it needs.

"The truth is that after that there is a risk of the NHS continuing to gobble up the lion's share."

He said no Conservative liked raising taxes and he feared "that if what we have done so far is tough, what is to come will be even tougher still".

"If you put your hands into people's pockets and take money out of them and they don't see visible improvements in the service they receive they get very angry indeed," he added.

'Kill the recovery'


Several Conservatives warned the tax rise will cost jobs.

Former minister John Redwood, who was among a number of Conservative MPs to abstain in the vote, said there was a danger the government's plans to increase taxes will "kill the recovery".

"This is too soon, government, to start breaking the economy," he said.

"Before the economy is completely opened up, before people have stabilised their businesses, before people have repaired some of the balance sheet damage which the pandemic measures did, it is not the right time to take money off people."

Conservative MP John Baron said he wanted to "question the "unfairness" of the increase given that it will "disproportionately fall on the lower paid" and he asked why "wealthy non-working pensioners be exempt?"

Another Conservative, Richard Drax, urged ministers to lower taxes , criticising the plans as "Labour-lite".

No proper plan?

Labour's shadow Treasury minister, James Murray, said ministers were rushing the legislation through the Commons with just a "few hours" of scrutiny because they wanted to avoid "giving their own side enough time to push back".

"They want to make sure that by the time it sinks in with their own MPs what a mistake this tax rise is, it will be too late for their backbenchers to mount any opposition," he said.

"Perhaps it is also sinking in with their backbenchers that the prime minister and the chancellor are pushing through these plans for a tax rise without a plan for social care."

Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson Munira Wilson said the date at which the proposed personal care cap of £86,000 kicks in could cause a "massive cliff edge".

She said: "Lots of people will try and avoid coming forward for care in the months before October 2023 and there will be a massive surge."

SNP shadow Treasury spokesperson, Alison Thewliss, said the tax rise, which is UK-wide, was "disproportionate and "unfair" and a threat to devolution.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Consumer Confidence Tumbles Amid Rising Energy Costs and Global Commodity Price Pressures
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Production from Jackdaw Gas Field to Bolster Domestic Energy Security
Storm Boelo Leaves Tens of Thousands of Households Without Power Across Scotland and Northern Ireland
UK Government Launches National Be Ready Campaign Urging Households to Prepare Three Days of Emergency Supplies
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Water Quality Regulations for British Rivers
Welsh Government Launches Major Renewable Energy Initiative to Expand Offshore Wind Capacity Along the Coast
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Final Agreement on Comprehensive Regional Infrastructure Modernization Plan
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Increase in British Retail Sales Driven by Autumn Discounts
Scottish First Minister Announces Emergency Housing Strategy to Tackle Severe Homelessness Across Urban Centers
Automotive Industry Leaders in the United Kingdom Urge Government Support for Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Transition
United Kingdom and European Union Initiate High-Level Negotiations on Post-Brexit Defense and Security Pact
National Health Service England Introduces Sweeping Digital Reforms to Reduce Hospital Waiting Lists Nationwide
Chancellor of the Exchequer Outlines Emergency Fiscal Measures to Address Local Government Funding Crises Across England
Bank of England Governor Warns of Persistent Inflation Pressures Impacting Interest Rate Decisions in the United Kingdom
UK Conservative Party Suspends Former Electoral Candidate Following Undercover Investigation
Actors and Writers Condemn British Anti Terror Legislation Targeting Activist Groups and Free Speech
Central Bank and Treasury Monitor Inflation Risks as International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast
Storm Boelo Batters British Isles With Eighty Mile Per Hour Winds Causing Widespread Power Outages
British Intelligence Services and Technology Firms Partner to Counter Artificial Intelligence Enabled Cybersecurity Threats
UK Consumer Confidence Falls at Fastest Rate Since Brexit Vote as Cost of Living Intensifies
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Landmark Autumn Budget Focused on Devolution and Fiscal Rules
Northern Ireland Executive Ministers Reach Consensus on Shared Economic Development Priorities to Stimulate Regional Growth in Belfast
Department for Business and Trade Finalizes Conditional Support Package for Advanced Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities in Newport
Welsh Government Unveils Regional Industrial Development Strategy to Attract Green Energy Investment to South Wales Manufacturing Hubs
Foreign Secretary David Lammy Concludes Diplomatic Mission to European Capital Cities to Strengthen Post-Brexit Defense Cooperation
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Regulatory Compliance Standards for Water Utilities Across England
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Wage Growth Stabilization and Resilient Employment Figures Across the United Kingdom
Scottish Government and Trade Union Representatives Reach Tentative Pay Agreement for Public Sector Transport Workers in Edinburgh
National Health Service England Announces Emergency Capital Funding Allocation to Reduce Winter Emergency Department Bottlenecks
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Signals Cautious Approach to Interest Rate Reductions Amid Persistent Inflation Pressures
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Treasury Officials Finalize Urgent Fiscal Adjustments Ahead of Upcoming National Budget
Tour de France Organizers Confirm Historic Grand Depart Featuring Edinburgh and Yorkshire Stages
National Cyber Security Centre Issues Urgent Alerts Following Global Security Vulnerability in Core Programming Software
Independent Energy Analysts Warn Great Britain Faces Highest Winter Power Tariffs in Europe
Major British Defense Contractors Commit to Delivering Forty Thousand New Apprenticeships and Training Placements
New Bradford Railway Station Infrastructure Project Approved to Transform Regional Transit Connectivity Across Northern England
Welsh Infrastructure Stakeholders Press Government for Accelerated Local Sourcing in Military and Uniform Manufacturing
Scottish Council Governance Crisis Triggers High-Court Legal Challenge Over Leadership Ouster Bid
High Street Bakery Chain Greggs Announces Major Factory Closures and Seven Hundred Job Cuts
Automotive Manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover Advances Advanced Defense Technology Partnership with European Allies
Treasury and Bank of England Officials Signal Persistent Concern Over Inflation-Driven Interest Rate Path
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast While Issuing Inflation Warnings
National Health Service Leaders Warn of Severe Capacity Pressures as Early Winter Respiratory Infections Surge
Government Issues Emergency Resilience Guidance Advising All British Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Private Sector Growth Beats Expectations in October Driven by Resilient Services and Manufacturing
Barclays to Cut Five Thousand Jobs in Major Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Cost-Cutting Overhaul
Piper Tomahawk Aircraft Crash Near Drymen in Stirling Claims Two Lives as Investigators Deploy
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Jackdaw Gas Field Production After Ministerial Authorization
Government Injects One Hundred and Forty Million Pounds to Expand Urgent Care Ahead of Winter Crisis
Department of Health Warns Further Pay Rises Will Derail National Health Service Waiting List Targets
×