Boris Johnson admits solution to social care crisis could still be five years away

Prime minister backtracks on pre-election claim to have ready-to-go rescue package – and warns action could take a full parliament to deliver

Boris Johnson has admitted he does not have a worked-up plan to end the social care crisis and that a solution could be five years away.

In a BBC interview, the prime minister backtracked on his pre-election claim to have a ready-to-go rescue package – instead, saying he would be “bringing forward a proposal” later this year.

Asked for a date for action to finally be taken to improve social care, Mr Johnson said: “We will certainly do it in this parliament” – prompting the interviewer to point out: “That’s five years away.”

In July, on the steps of Downing Street, the new leader insisted he had a “clear plan we have prepared to give every older person the dignity and security they deserve”.

But the Conservative manifesto then ducked the controversy, as the Tories feared the threat of new taxes to fund a cap on costs would derail the campaign – as it did Theresa May’s in 2017.

In the interview, Mr Johnson acknowledged the NHS crisis could not be solved without “a revolution in the way we approach social care”.

He promised there would be “a plan this year” – but pledged only that his government would “get it done within this parliament”.

During the interview, Mr Johnson said the Iran nuclear agreement should be scrapped and replaced with a superior “Trump deal” – as he shrugged off being shut out of the decision to assassinate Qassem Soleimani.

Appearing to sign the death knell for Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – backed by the EU – the prime minister instead heaped praise on the US president’s negotiating skills.

“Let’s work together to replace the JCPOA and get the Trump deal instead, that’s the opportunity,” he said.

He also acknowledged that the chances of the US sending Anne Sacoolas back to the UK, to face justice over the death of Harry Dunn, are “very low”.

The US State Department has described the extradition request for the wife of a US intelligence official, charged with the death of the teenage motorcyclist, as unacceptable.

The prime minister told BBC Breakfast: “I think the chances of America actually responding by sending Anne Sacoolas to this country are very low. That’s not what they do.”

Put under pressure over the social care crisis, Mr Johnson said: “This is a big, big thing. I mean, this is a potentially massive change in the way we fund social care, and we’ve got to get it right.

“We have got to think very carefully about how we do it, because there are lots of quite important moral and social issues contained in it.

“You know, should taxpayers be paying for people who might be able to afford it? What is the relationship you want to encourage, should families be looking after their own, their elderly relatives (and) to what extent?

“All these are very complex questions. The key thing is that everybody must have safety and security in their old age, nobody should sell their home to pay for the cost of that care. We will do that.”