The Sunday Telegraph - 01.09.2019

10 FINAL^ Sunday 1 September 2019 The Sunday Telegraph

Politics

Labour plan to

fund at-home

care for elderly

By Edward Malnick and Ben Gartside

LABOUR is drawing up plans to offer
all pensioners state-funded care in
their homes, as Jeremy Corbyn tries to
steal a march from Boris Johnson on a
key election issue.
Mr Corbyn’s party is preparing to
pledge “free personal care” for over-
65s, after a similar policy was endorsed
by a panel of influential peers, includ-
ing two former chancellors.
Shadow ministers are even consider-
ing nationalising some care homes as
part of a radical package of measures
designed to show Labour would tackle
social care problems facing the coun-
try’s ageing population. One claimed
that the record of homes run by “profit-
making” organisations was “appalling”.
The plans for free personal care –
help with washing, dressing and eating

• are modelled on proposals by the In-
  stitute for Public Policy Research
  (IPPR), a Left-wing think tank, which
  recommended in May that it should be
  funded by a two per cent income tax
  hike or by adding one per cent to na-
  tional insurance payments.
  In July the Lords Economic Affairs
  Committee, whose members included
  Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, a former
  Conservative cabinet minister, and
  Lord Lamont, the former chancellor,
  called for £7bn to be found to fund free
  personal care, starting with pensioners
  with substantial or critical needs. Lord
  Forsyth said the current system was
  “broken” and would “end in cata-
  strophic failure” without significant
  investment.
  A shadow cabinet minister said there
  was an urgency to work on the issue.

“If you’ve got Michael Forsyth and

Norman Lamont [advocating] free per-

sonal care the time is right for the La-

bour Party to move into that sort of

territory,” the MP said.

Another frontbencher said “a much

more generous” system of funding so-

cial care was needed and insisted it was

“perfectly reasonable” to consider na-

tionalising care homes as well as fund-

ing help for the elderly in their own

properties.

“The record of some of these homes

is pretty appalling,” the shadow minis-

ter said. “I’m not against a mixed econ-

omy but a mixed economy of social

care should be between local authori-

ties and charitable organisations rather

than profitmaking ones.”

Labour’s plans are being overseen by

John McDonnell, the shadow chancel-

lor, together with Barbara Keeley, La-

bour’s spokesman on care issues, who

sits in the shadow cabinet.

Last night Ms Keeley said: “Social

care is in crisis after nine years of Tory

cuts which have seen £7.7 billion taken

from social care budgets resulting in

1.4 million people going without the

care they need every day. Social care

needs substantial investment. Labour

will invest in extra funding to deal

with the crisis and we will develop a

National Care Service to ensure that

people needing care can live indepen-

dently and with dignity.”

Theresa May pledged to introduce

major reforms to the social care system

but failed to publish proposals drawn

up by Matt Hancock, the Health and

Social Care Secretary, and Caroline

Dinenage, his deputy, which were first

promised two and a half years ago.

Migrants held

after searches

in Channel

By Katie O’Neill and Matt Drake

SIXTY-SIX migrants were picked up by

border control officers in Dover yester-

day after a wave of crossings of the

English Channel.

It brought the number of migrants

who have successfully crossed the

sea into Britain this year to more

than 1,000.

Search-and-rescue operations were

launched at first light along the Kent

coast, and Border Force responded to a

“number of incidents”.

Kent Police said eight people sus-

pected of getting out of a dinghy on the

shore at Kingsdown were passed to im-

migration officers.

The Border Force vessel Speedwell

transported 14 suspected migrants to

the port while a further 34, including

five children, were picked up from two

dinghies by the Border Force vessel

Seeker, according to Sky News.

A coastguard spokesman said crews

were concerned with “rescuing those

in trouble and bringing them safely

back to shore, where they will be

handed over to the relevant partner

emergency services or authorities”.

By Friday, more than 220 migrants,

including at least 40 children, had

been intercepted by UK and French au-

thorities since Thursday last week.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has

said urgent action is needed to tackle

the migrant crisis in the Channel, and

plans are being drawn up “immedi-

ately” to deal with the problem.

Her comments came following a

meeting with her French counterpart,

Christophe Castaner in Paris, during

which the pair agreed to step up re-

sources to intercept and stop the wave

of crossings in small boats.

Last week, Boris Johnson warned

would-be migrants: “If you come ille-

gally, you are an illegal immigrant and

the law will treat you as such.”

Outstanding schools to face routine inspections after 10-year gap in scrutiny is revealed

By Phoebe Southworth

SCHOOLS rated outstanding will no
longer be exempt from routine Ofsted
inspections, the Education Secretary
has announced.
The decision came after it emerged
that almost 300 had not been inspected
for more than a decade.
Gavin Williamson unveiled the new

rule as part of a programme of meas-

ures to tackle underperformance and

ensure standards continue to rise.

Since 2012, “outstanding” schools

have not been required to have routine

inspections and are visited only if the

watchdog has concerns.

A report by the National Audit Office

found 296 had not been inspected for

more than 10 years – during which time

standards could badly decline. But they

will now be subject to the same visits as

other schools to ensure the quality of

education remains high.

Amanda Spielman, the chief inspec-

tor of schools in England, had urged

ministers to lift the exemption to en-

sure the rating remains a “meaningful

and a genuine beacon of excellence”.

This academic year only 16 per cent

of schools retained their “outstanding”

status after inspection compared with

33 per cent last year.

In his announcement, Mr William-

son also promised extra funding for top

performing academies and more sup-

port for schools consistently rated as

requiring improvement.

A specialist academy trust will be pi-

loted in the North of England to over-

haul the schools struggling most with

long-term underperformance.

Mr Williamson said: “Every parent

wants to know their child is getting a

great education and I will leave no

stone unturned to deliver that.

“This Government has delivered on

its promise to deliver a huge cash boost

for the education system and now we

will continue our relentless focus on

standards by backing teachers, school

leaders and the sector as a whole to do

what they do best and deliver the best

for our children.”

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister,

has pledged funding worth £14 billion

for primary and secondary schools in

England, to be delivered over three

years. This means the schools budget

will be £52.2 billion in 2022-23.

STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY

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