Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg interview: social care, the public finances and masked anti-migrant protests

Prime Minister, welcome in your childhood stomping ground of Liverpool. Um in July, as we heard just there, you told us you would go as fast as you can on sorting out care for the elderly and vulnerable in England, social care as it's known. Where have you got to now, 3 months later?

If people weren't aware, your father, Roy, passed away actually less than 2 weeks ago. I think it's a fortnight tomorrow. So, this is obviously hugely personal for you, as it is personal for so many families who'll be watching this morning. What will a new system mean? What will you offer people? By when will it happen? So, let's start with what you're actually going to do.

And those are the problems right now as you see it, but what are you to be really clear, are you proposing a universal service, universal free care for people? Let's be really specific here. Do you mean free personal care for everyone who needs it in England?

So, free at the point of use and universal?

One of the reasons though why politicians have looked at this and then backed off is the cost. So, you've set out very clearly here you want there to be a system for everyone in England that is free at the point of use cuz you've committed to the same principles as the NHS. If you look at that what that might cost, some estimates say 18 billion pounds a year, that's Health Foundation figures. Some people estimate even more than that.

are we talking about then?

So, where will it do it from? Because where will it come from?

So, let's then be You say you want to be honest, you want to look people in the eye. You can look the country in the eye right now and say you want care in England to be like the NHS. Everyone pays for the NHS. It comes out of general taxation. So, is that how this is going to work? Everyone will contribute if everyone's covered? Because that means more tax.

Prime Minister, you know where you're going with this. You've been thinking about this for years.

spread the cost across the population. That then sounds different to what you just mentioned, what you as Health Secretary mentioned all the way back at suggested back in 2009. Your proposal then, was to bring in a better system of social care paid for by among other ways, paid for by a levy on people's estates, the money they wanted to leave behind for their children. As you said, it was branded a dementia tax. Is that off the table?

If it's urgent, do you commit to doing this before 2029, before the next general election?

just to be clear for people that commitments in the manifesto are not raising VAT, not raising income tax, and not raising national insurance that employees pay. But there could be a different kind of tax. There could be a hypothecated tax to use the the fancy word. Just to stick on timing cuz that's the question I'm asking here, really.

So, to be really clear, you've just set this out there. You are going to put to the country at the next general election a proposition for a care service that will be free at the point of use, paid for by everyone, and that will be on the ballot paper next time round.

But some people watching and your political critics and also a growing number of economists would say that the country is in the position it is because politicians have been too free with public money. They've not taken the economy seriously enough. They've not taken growing the economy seriously enough. And I just would would Let me Let me Let Let me ask this question because since you've been in power, you have outlined and talked about social care, but you've put more money more spending on housing. You want more money for rough sleeping, more money on cheaper bus fares. You've taken some money off energy bills. The problem comes on the other side of the ledger. Now, you've saved some money by canceling the digital ID project. That was 1 and 1/2 billion pounds, but money that actually hadn't been allocated in in the first place. What is it are you willing to ditch in order to make the sums add up? Because one of your critics, you know, said that you're like Father Christmas. You can't just be Santa Burnham. The economy is in quite a precarious state. The debt is 98% of the whole economy.

And there is concern in your party, too, that you're quite motivated and happy maybe to spend taxpayers' cash on things that you understandably care about, things that your party cares about. But the former business secretary Peter Kyle told us this weekend, you have to care as much about growing the economy as you do about rough sleeping or trying to give people a little bit of help.

now and you know very well that there are many economists who look at the state of the UK and think this cannot go on in this way. So, where are you prepared to cut back

No, no one is No one's asking for a gold medal. Oil is once again at 100 pounds a barrel. There are predictions that energy bills will hit five 500 pounds extra from January onwards. Yes, as Keir Starmer sat in that chair and did the same thing saying that yes, there were some good signs of growth. The point is there is real concern in the financial markets about the health of the British economy.

So, can you tell us today somewhere where you're willing to cut or something that you're willing to ditch in order to balance the books?

One of the things though that people particularly in the business community but probably lots of people watching will look at and say is just, you know, might want to throw their hands up in exasperation. Again, building another runway at Heathrow seems to have been delayed. Rachel Reeves used to say that would bring billions of extra pounds to the economy. Are you going to back another runway Heathrow? There has to be a vote in Parliament.

Are you going to back it?

a vote in Parliament and you're the Prime Minister. Are you going to back it or not?

That sounds like you're not up for it cuz the London Mayor said he can't isn't that up for it.

Will the welfare bill have gone down by the next general election?

commit to doing it?

They describe themselves as patriots. Are they?

Well, your home your home secretary said he was. She said he was an outright racist.

There are though, as you've said, people who are very worried about what's happening in their own communities. What do you say to the women of Paddington or villagers in Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire who are really worried about these small communities being asked to live side by side with more than a thousand young men, asylum seekers, coming to live in their communities?

pay the price for successive governments' failures? I mean, isn't there another solution? Your predecessor actually at one point was looking at trying to send people who'd come here without permission to other countries, to Albania. Now, that didn't work out. But are you prepared to look at something more radical?

But overall, the figure for this year is still higher than it was in 2024. So, yes, you're right, the number of summer crossings is lower than it has been for some time, but the overall figure this year is still happening. A couple of undocumented boats slipped through this week.

People might be able to hear this in protest going on outside. We're not sure what people are protesting about. It's quite a normal thing to happen at a party conference, but just if you can hear that in the background, then that is what is going on. I just lastly want to ask you about what's happening in Northern Ireland this morning. There's been real tension this morning between two communities, um the Drumcree, which of course years ago was the scene of some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland. Um the government could have overturned the decision here and said that the parade shouldn't be allowed to go ahead. What is your view of what's going on? Are you concerned about it?

A huge amount on your plate, and we're grateful for your time this morning. I just must ask you this. This is a huge week for you, huge moment. Someone in government said, "He just loves being Prime Minister." Is that true? You're loving it?