Reform UK

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester and a potential Labour leadership contender, has pledged to make social care reform a central issue of the next UK general election. He argues that funding and fixing adult social care has been delayed for decades and should be a top national priority, putting pressure on the government and his own party to set out concrete plans.

Avanti West Coast, the operator of rail services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the Midlands, northern England and Scotland, will be brought back into public ownership in March. The move forms part of the UK government's wider programme of renationalising failing private rail operators under Great British Railways reform. The announcement is drawing attention from passengers and transport commentators, many of whom have long criticised the operator for delays, cancellations and poor service.

Writing in the Guardian, Jane Turner urges MPs to act on end-of-life care, arguing that during the assisted dying debate politicians broadly agreed palliative care in the UK is in urgent need of reform. She says patients and their carers now expect Parliament to follow up its words with concrete fixes to a system she describes as broken.

High-profile British creators have successfully pushed back against AI industry lobbying over the use of copyrighted works, a campaign now being studied as Australia weighs its own copyright reforms. Observers say the UK experience shows how artists' collective pressure can shape rules governing AI training on creative work, as Australian policymakers face similar demands from both creators and technology firms.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has pledged to put forward a plan for social care reform at the next UK election. The pledge, reported by Reuters and other outlets, addresses the long-running crisis in England's care system, where funding shortfalls and workforce shortages have left many unable to afford support. Burnham has long campaigned for a national care service, and the promise positions social care as a likely election battleground.