John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, letter to the Chancellor regarding the deepening crisis in social care

The Shadow Chancellor has today written to Philip Hammond urging the Chancellor to bring forward the immediate top-up funding required to address the social care crisis in our country, which this Christmas sees a million elderly people not getting the care they need.

Under the Government’s spending plans outlined in the Autumn Statement, there is £27 billion of potential additional spending available within the Government’s new deficit target. This would be more than enough to cover the £1.9 billion funding gap in the social care system this year.

Labour is offering support to the Government if it releases this funding: “with political will, the crisis can be resolved”, the letter says.

In his letter to Philip Hammond, John McDonnell has offered his support “in finding an immediate funding solution for the social care crisis this winter” and has pointed out that they could provide the support so he will “still be able to meet his “own target for deficit reduction, set at 2% of GDP in 2020-21.”

This letter follows from the one Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sent at the weekend, calling for an urgent meeting to discuss both emergency support for social care.