Everything Andy Burnham said when questioned by LBC callers
Prime Minister took calls from LBC listeners as Labour hosts its party conference in Liverpool
Andy Burnham took calls from LBC listeners this afternoon from the Labour conference in Manchester.
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The Prime Minister confirmed to LBC that he will chair a Cobra meeting "later this afternoon," in the wake of five arrests by counter-terror police close to RAF Fairford.
He has said that his NHS-style social care system will be for "older people but not for children" and has voiced his hopes for a separate deal with Donald Trump if US bans diesel exports.
Here is the script as Shelagh Fogarty gave him questions from callers.
Read also: Andy Burnham answers questions from LBC callers - as it happened
(Caller, in bold) Meg in Hereford: When are you going to protect our country and invest in defence?
(Andy Burnham) Well, thank you very much, Meg. You're asking a question that is on the minds of a lot of people because everybody can feel the world changing, and we cannot do anything other than put national security right at the top of our priorities. So I inherited a defence investment plan. It's a good plan, but there was a shortfall. But I will make that good. We will make sure we have a fully funded plan, and of course we will need to go further.
To honour our NATO commitments. Well, we've got 2030. We have a commitment 2035. And what I'll set out tomorrow is how we do that, how we change things so that we can make the necessary investment in defence. I think you are right at the start of your call to use a theme that I used in the Commons recently, that it can't be a case of choosing between social security— and I use that phrase in the old-fashioned sense— and national security. Resilience is built from the ground up. You know, if we have lots of young people out of work, they're They may be at risk from being involved in things that might harm security at a local level or national security if people are trying to, you know, manipulate the country, as I said at the UN last week. So you've got to see these 2 things together— social security building up to national security. On Fairford, if I could just say, Shelagh, it's obviously a live investigation, so there is a limit to what I can can say about it. I want to thank the police, the Gloucestershire Police, the security services, the emergency services, the public who alerted, alerted us. So thank you to everybody for the way that they've worked. What, what I can say is that I will chair a meeting of COBRA later this afternoon just to make sure we have the full picture, the full situation very clearly in our, in our sights. And so I maybe will say more about that later today.
Lucy in Liverpool: How would a national care service help the social care system when the National Health Service has proven to be difficult to provide good care?
Well, Lucy, you've put it very well. I think we've got to start in the home and provide the highest quality care that we can. And speaking from recent experience, I think people may know I sadly lost my dad recently. And the care, obviously it's not the people. I wouldn't for one minute, Shelagh, say it's the people. They were brilliant, actually, and they came from all over the world, it's important to say as well. The care was brilliant. It's the system that's letting them down. You cannot deliver a care system of quality in 15-minute slots. You just can't. Because the minute people's needs get beyond the simple and head towards the more moderate or even severe, then And then, you know, things just completely break down.
But also the system then, if you like, draws people towards the hospital, and it becomes very hard then to stop that process once it's underway. You know, the, the 999 calls, uh, that the staff are told to make if there's the, the slightest problem and then just offload onto the NHS— that's not sustainable. In the long run, I made the point on the BBC yesterday: if we allow failing social care to collapse, it will drag the National Health Service down with it. And already we could say that corridor care is an everyday reality in the NHS, and social care is a large driver of that. So what Lucy said, I agree with so much. The highest quality social care in people's homes, everyday care with people delivering it who are. Properly trained and properly rewarded. You know, to me, I look at what I saw and I see a workforce totally dedicated to what they did, you know, doing it with huge warmth, humour, compassion, humanity— unbelievable. But they're holding a threadbare system together, and the idea that people should give their life to care for other people's parents on poverty pay is quite an indictment, actually, I have to say, of a generation of politicians Will you look again at the rules on visas and families for carers?
Rachel in Oxford: How will you help small businesses and those struggling, when pressure is coming from all angles?
Yeah, I very much hear what you're saying. It's why the Chancellor, alongside cost of living, Shelagh, now always adds cost of business. And we want to make sure that we're always talking about that to show you that we do understand what you've just described. There is a limit. There is obviously a challenging fiscal position that we are dealing with as we head towards the budget. But within that, we are trying to do things that will help people with the cost of business. So I hear what you're saying. We want to get business in a position where you feel hopeful again about the future, where you feel confidence to invest, to recruit. And we know we've got some work to do.
Charlotte in Blackpool: You’re a straight-talking, decisive guy, PM, but I was left scratching my head yesterday at your answer on Heathrow’s third runway. Do you want a third runway to go ahead - yes or no?
It's not just a matter for London. And yes, I'm happy to make that clear. It is a big decision. The reason why sometimes politicians do have to do this— oh, I can't give you a straight answer— is it's a live consultation and potentially a planning application. Which takes it into a different space because those issues will have to be looked at carefully. And the reason why I am a little reticent is that there are quite strong views on either side. You know, there's, you know, very significant difference of opinion on the whole, on the whole matter. So people need to have the sense that these issues are going to be looked at independently, fairly, and obviously that's something that I need to respect in making my comments on the situation.
Steve in Upper Arncott: Why are you not listening to the people of Piddington? Why should we have asylum seekers moved into our community?
So thank you, Steve, for your question. Obviously, this comes from the need to end the use of hotels, which was a big call from people a few years ago. And as we do that, we do have to look for alternative forms of accommodation. Now, you said, you know, why won't I listen? I do listen, and I have been asking questions of the Home Office about the precise arrangements related to this particular location. But also to others as well, where, you know, we, we have legitimate concerns. Obviously, measures must be put in place to ensure that things can be managed properly and safely. So I am going through those things at the moment, but it is the case that, you know, we have to deal with this issue in a way that is, if you like, fair to everywhere. But I understand the points that that you're— the points that you're making. Overall, there is better news in that the number of crossings is down 50%. The number of returns of people with no right to be here is up. So there is a grip that the Home Secretary is establishing over this situation. We are relentless in looking at where we can go, where we can go further. I realise it's difficult from, from your perspective I am looking at those issues, but I wouldn't want to give you the impression today on this call that, you know, it can simply be— can be cancelled because we're not in that position at the moment.
Lottie in Manchester: What are you going to do about my generation of overqualified grads in the job market of decreasing grad roles?
I'm not avoiding your question, Lottie. It is different, you know, the, the way people have to pay for university and the unfairness— I'm going to say it, you know— the unfairness of the loans that you are repaying and then the, you know, the interest and the fact the loan doesn't go down. I mean, I, you know, that is a pretty, pretty poor situation that you all find yourselves in.
Well, the thing I'm going to point to is something we've announced at this conference because it's very much aimed at Lottie's generation. And it's your first home. So we've brought back the successor scheme to Help to Buy. Help to Buy still created barriers in that the deposit you had to find to be part of Help to Buy was quite big, and a lot of people don't have a bank of mum and dad to be able to fall back on. So Your First Home will have a lower entry requirement, so you'll only have to find the 2.5% deposit. Deposit, and that was a deliberate choice so that we open it up to people who really need the help to get their first foot on the housing ladder. So that's one thing, Lottie. I realise it's not everything. There's much more we need to do to support graduate employment as you say. The main thing is, let's get the economy growing again. And I'm very focused on that.