Jeremy Corbyn tells Theresa May: Protect the vulnerable this Christmas

The Labour leader has written to the Prime Minister urging talks on the social care funding crisis

The Labour leader has proposed an urgent meeting to discuss emergency support for social care (Getty)

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to the Prime Minister requesting urgent cross party talks on the crisis in social care funding.

This week the Conservatives announced increases in social care funding of around £900m, far short of the estimated £2bn black hole it faces. Mr Corbyn has is urged Theresa May to provide “emergency top-up funding” to protect elderly and vulnerable people at Christmas.

In the letter, Mr Corbyn writes: “After £4.6bn of cuts to social care budgets since 2010, more than a million elderly people are not getting the care they need.

“Social care is in a deepening crisis which threatens the well-being, dignity and lives of hundreds of thousands of older people.

“The social care system is breaking down from lack of support. I hope you will be prepared to discuss both emergency support for social care to tide services over until April, as well as longer-term solutions to the funding and restructuring of social care provision.

“Relying on the council tax to plug the shortfall will lead to a postcode lottery and shift the cost on to hard-pressed council taxpayers. The Government must take responsibility.”

Mr Corbyn proposes an urgent meeting at “the highest level” to discuss emergency support for social care and to look at more far-reaching solutions.