A No 10 source says it is an attempt by the prime minister to show he is "hitting the ground running".

Andy Burnham will make a speech on social care next week as part of what No 10 says is an attempt to show he is "hitting the ground running" as prime minister. He will also separately address youth unemployment and devolution in the coming week. Downing Street described the three areas as "some of the most difficult issues facing the country that have been ignored for too long". Burnham first proposed a universal system of social care in England in 2009 when he was health secretary under Gordon Brown. He has vowed to spend political capital on the issue as prime minister. A No 10 source said: "Andy is going to run towards problems that have been neglected, giving people hope again." The source said: "He has the courage to fix the most difficult issues that have been ignored for years and seen as impossible to resolve. He doesn't accept that they are. They can't be ignored any longer. "The prime minister is determined to show that governments can make people's lives better if they choose to. He wants to get Britain believing again." Unlike the NHS, social care is not free at the point of use, and people with savings worth more than £23,250 are not entitled to help with the cost of care from their local council.