Prime minister cancels engagements following father’s death
Prime minister Andy Burnham has cancelled all of his engagements on Monday and Tuesday following the death of his father, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, reports BritPanorama.
Mr Burnham had been due to host business leaders in No 10 on Monday afternoon.
The prime minister has previously spoken about how his father, Roy Burnham, who was living in a care home, was unaware he was about to become prime minister as a result of his Alzheimer’s.
“That’s a sadness because he would be [proud],” Mr Burnham told The Times over the summer. “The way I look at it, it’s his achievement as well. A whole family achievement although he doesn’t know it.”
Mr Burnham has also vowed to “grasp the nettle” of reforming the adult social care system, drawing on his father’s experience in care.
He described the “broken social care system” in England as “the worst of all worlds” and said that it is a “massive” priority for the public.
As he navigates this personal loss, the prime minister’s commitment to social care reform may take on added significance, serving as a reminder of the pressing challenges within the sector.
