Why, unlike the others, he must copy his idol and make it happen
When Winston Churchill wanted to ensure officials followed his instructions swiftly, he would stamp documents with the command ‘Action This Day’.
Churchill is Boris Johnson’s political hero, but if the PM wants to emulate him he should perhaps apply the ‘Action This Day’ spirit to one of the biggest scandals facing the country: The social care crisis.
On the steps of no 10 on Wednesday, Mr Johnson pledged to ‘fix’ the scandal ‘once and for all’ – claiming he had drawn up a plan to do so. Observers welcomed the rhetoric, but said the time for talk was over.
Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann said: ‘We need action now. People are suffering in our Third-World care system, and it’s time to ensure we’re treating elderly people with the respect they deserve.’
For more than two decades, politicians have promised action to stop the elderly having to sell their homes to pay sky-high care bills. But nothing has been done.
here are just some of the promises made:
TONY BLAIR – 1997 LABOUR PRIME MINISTER
‘I don’t want [our children] brought up in a country where the only way pensioners can get long-term care is by selling their home.’
GORDON BROWN –2008 LABOUR PRIME MINISTER
‘We can and must look to give people the opportunity and the support to save for their old age in a way which protects their houses and their inheritance.’
ANDY BURNHAM – 2009 LABOUR HEALTH SECRETARY
‘We should be able to construct a system where that doesn’t have to happen [elderly people selling their homes].’
ANDREW LANSLEY – 2012 CONSERVATIVE HEALTH SECRETARY
‘We want to give people the certainty that they don’t have to sell their home to pay for care’.
DAVID CAMERON – 2015 CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTER
‘Our final pledge is to ensure Britain has a strong economy so we can protect the NHS and make sure no one is forced to sell their home to pay for care.’
THERESA MAY –2017 CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTER
‘We need to ensure we have got that long-term solution for a sustainable future for social care.’
JEREMY HUNT – 2018 CONSERVATIVE HEALTH SECRETARY
‘We therefore need a system that includes an element of risk-pooling, and we will bring forward ideas as to how to do this alongside their potential costs in the Green Paper.’
BORIS JOHNSON – 2019 CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTER
‘My job is to protect you or your parents or grandparents from the fear of having to sell your home to pay for the costs of care.
‘And so I am announcing now – on the steps of Downing Street – that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared to give every older person the dignity and security they deserve.’