Dominic Cummings today gave evidence to the House of Commons on the Government’s pandemic response. Mr Cummings’ comments have revealed what we knew all along – that the Government’s ‘protective shield’ around care homes during this pandemic did not exist. Over 30,000 care home residents have died of coronavirus during […]
Liz in the news
Find out what I’ve been saying and doing in the media.
When WILL they show they care? Boris Johnson faces backlash after failing to honour his pledge to fix Britain’s broken social care system… and devoted just NINE WORDS to it in the Queen’s Speech
Older people who helped make this country what it is, and who are now seeing their life savings wiped out to pay for care, deserve more than a paltry 9 words in the Queens Speech. Mr Johnson needs to wake up to the fact we cannot build a better country […]
Publish social care crisis plan in Queen’s Speech, voters tell Boris Johnson
A new survey has revealed that 69% of people believe social care should be a top priority. This pandemic has laid bare the challenges our social care system has faced over the last decade. The Conservative Party weakened its foundations by cutting local authority social care budgets by £8 billion, […]
Liz joins Rights for Residents campaigners
Yesterday I joined Rights for Residents at their virtual petition hand-in on Parliament Square. I spoke to campaigners about their experiences of being unable to visit their loved ones in care homes, and how it has impacted on their lives. Rights for Residents have been campaigning tirelessly for the rights of […]
Liz sets out Labour’s priorities for social care reform
As part of my speech at the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services Spring Conference, I am today calling for social care to be treated as part of Britain’s infrastructure, treating it the same way we would the roads and railways. If you neglect your country’s physical infrastructure, you […]
Liz responds to new guidance on care home visits
The Government looks set to announce new guidance this week allowing care home residents in England to have two regular visitors from the 12th April. Families are absolutely crucial for the physical and mental health of care home residents, and as infection rates in care homes continue to fall it […]
All care homes in England are finally vaccinated against Covid – nearly four MONTHS after rollout began
All care homes in England have now been offered the vaccine. However, there are still a number of elderly people who haven’t been reached by vaccine teams. The Government promised that all over-80s would be vaccinated by mid-February, and yet in some places up to one in four elderly people […]
Liz’s latest Mercury column
In this month’s Leicester Mercury column, I talk how we must build a brighter future for our children as we emerge from this pandemic. Education must be top of the agenda. Right now, the Government’s National Tutoring Programme won’t even reach every pupil on Free School Meals, and the extra […]
Lack of social care strategy left system weakened when Covid struck
The latest report from the National Audit Office shows how the Government’s years of failure to get a grip on the social care crisis has left thousands without the help they need. This highlights what we have known for a long while – that long-term reform for social care is needed […]
Liz reflects on a year of the pandemic
I appeared on Sky News yesterday to reflect on one year since the first national lockdown was called. As we emerge from this pandemic, we need to look at how we can build a stronger and fairer economy. This means tackling important issues like poverty, inequality, and poor housing – […]
Liz calls for social care reform on BBC Radio 4 Today
I spoke to BBC Radio 4 Today about the urgent need for social care reform a year on from the start of the first lockdown. More than 31,000 care home residents have died from Covid-19 so far. This is a much higher proportion than in many other countries. As we […]
Carers who sleep overnight at work in case they are needed not entitled to minimum wage for whole shift – Supreme Court rules
It’s extremely disappointing that the Supreme Court came to this decision. Care workers do a highly skilled and difficult role and they should be paid fairly for every hour of the work they do. Crucially, no care workers should see their pay fall as a result of this ruling and […]