Last week Badenoch wrote to the prime minister saying he should rule out tax rises or increased borrowing to fund social care reform.

A Conservative spokesman said Andrew would attend in Badenoch’s place and was ready to work with Labour on measures that improved social care – provided they were not reliant on tax rises and borrowing.

“Social care is vital to protecting the most vulnerable in our society,” he said.

“Any changes must be backed by a clear, credible and fully costed plan that delivers better care for the public and value for taxpayers.

“Andy Burnham and Labour cannot rely on vague promises of reform without a clear plan for implementation and detail on what will happen when.”

Sir Ed said on X that he would attend the meeting by Zoom as he was with his family in France and had a disabled son who needed “24/7 care”.

He believes that the “current system is broken” and wants to see family care “front and centre” of any reforms as it is where “the vast majority of caring takes place”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If people are able to look after their loved ones [at home], they don’t have to go into hospitals so often and that can save huge amounts of money.”

Sir Ed complained about how some individuals face “catastrophic” choices in having to sell their homes to pay for care.

He told the BBC that if proposed changes are found in the Burnham talks on Wednesday that Labour and the Conservatives can agree on, the Lib Dems would support this “even if it is not our preferred option”.

He has previously said he was ready to do “whatever I can to find a real and lasting consensus on social care” but pointed out there had already been 22 failed attempts at reforming social care since 1997.

“To see the 23rd effort work, we need to do things differently,” he said.

Complaining of the snub, Reform leader Nigel Farage said far from leaving politics aside, Burnham had “chosen to ignore the party that led over 300 national opinion polls and represents thousands of councillors and millions of Britons across the country”.

He accused the prime minister of “conspiring behind closed doors with the failed political establishment”.

Green leader Zack Polanski, asked on Newsnight whether he should have been invited, said: “That’s a case for the prime minister. Actually, I think it’s positive he’s inviting opposition leaders at all.

“I would like to be there, of course I would, I’d encourage the prime minister to extend that invitation… The point here, though, is not politicians’ personal egos, the point is adult social care is a ticking time bomb.”