social care

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.

The use of robots in therapy for autistic children is being scrutinised in a new discussion about its ethical implications. Critics are asking whether robotic interventions genuinely help children develop social skills, or whether they risk replacing human contact and raising questions about consent, dependency and the commercialisation of care. The debate reflects growing attention to how assistive technology should be used with vulnerable groups.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has put forward a proposal to create an NHS-style social care system for England, arguing that care should be provided free at the point of use in the same way as health services. The idea reignites a long-running debate over how England funds and organises adult social care, an issue that has defied successive governments' reform attempts.

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.

Andy Burnham has signalled he would fight the next election on a platform of raising taxes to fund social care reform. The Greater Manchester mayor has long argued that care should be funded through general taxation rather than left to individuals, and the comments suggest he intends to make the issue central to his pitch. The stance sets up a potential clash within Labour over tax policy and puts social care reform back on the political agenda.

Mike Leigh's new film 'Tender Loving Care' is being screened at the New York Film Festival 2026, where it is being described as possibly the veteran British director's final work. Reviews from the festival are drawing attention to what may mark the closing chapter of Leigh's decades-long career in British social realism.