Fix the social care crisis now, Boris Johnson!

An overwhelming majority of voters want Boris Johnson to take urgent action to fix the social care crisis.

A poll found almost three- quarters believe that the issue should be a high priority for his new government.

It was ranked top of a list of problems needing action and has also been the focus of a Daily Mail campaign to end the neglect of families living with the burden of dementia.

Mr Johnson has pledged to tackle the crisis but is yet to set out details. When asked about key policy issues, social care was ranked the most important as 73 per cent of voters said it should be a high priority.

In the poll for think-tank Bright Blue, it topped climate change (64 per cent), air pollution (64 per cent) and pension reform (58 per cent) while childcare and universal credit were each picked by 55 per cent.

The topics of race and gender bias, and the integration of migrants were both chosen by 52 per cent.

Most voters – 57 per cent – expected the Tories to fulfil their manifesto pledges to raise the national insurance threshold to £12,500, while 52 per cent believed the national minimum wage will rise to £10.50. Meanwhile, 54 per cent think the vow to cut the number of low-skilled immigrants will be achieved.

But there was more scepticism about other election pledges as 68 per cent said they did not expect the Tories to end rough sleeping and 51 per cent were unconvinced there will be 50,000 more nurses.

Meanwhile 54 per cent doubted the entire roll-out of fibre broadband will be carried out. Some 57 per cent believed employment levels will be steady or rise in the next five years, with 70 per cent expecting wages to be maintained or grow.

It was ranked top of a list of problems needing action and has also been the focus of a Daily Mail campaign to end the neglect of families living with the burden of dementia

However, 71 per cent warned that they did not believe crime levels would improve and 72 per cent did not think the national debt would be reduced.

Those who voted Tory at the election saw it as ‘a Brexit party’ (34 per cent). But backers of other parties suggested it was ‘elitist’ and ‘far-Right’ in the poll of 2,003 adults carried out by Opinium in late December.

During the election campaign, Mr Johnson gave voters a ‘cast-iron guarantee’ that he will have a long-term plan for social care in place within five years.

The Tory manifesto set out a ‘three-point’ blueprint to tackle the problem, but was criticised for lacking detail.

Bright Blue director Ryan Shorthouse said Mr Johnson now needs to ‘earn the trust of first-time Conservative voters’ by achieving ‘more than just Brexit’. James Crouch, of Opinium, said: ‘Mr Johnson will need to work hard to maintain the trust of the Northern working-class voters who elected him.’

More than 364,000 readers have signed the Mail’s petition to end the dementia care costs scandal, in which many sufferers have had to sell their homes.