Labour will effectively end the freeze on welfare benefits with a package of reforms, John McDonnell has said.

The shadow chancellor claimed the party's proposals would make the freeze irrelevant, but refused to say whether he would unfreeze benefits.

Mr McDonnell told BBC 1's Andrew Marr Show: "We're putting £30 billion in over the lifetime of a parliament into welfare, we're reforming the whole process - universal credits and the implication of that will be, the impact will be, basically the freeze - the impact of these proposals will make the freeze irrelevant because we'll reform the whole process."

When pressed on whether he would end the freeze, he said: "In effect, we will be doing as part of the overall reform package that we're putting forward which includes the introduction of a real living wage as well, which includes the reform of universal credits, and a whole range of other aspects - including scrapping the bedroom tax, sanctions, et cetera."

Mr McDonnell rejected Resolution Foundation findings that 78% of Conservative cuts would not be reversed under Labour proposals.

"I think the proposals that we'll be putting forward on reform, as we've set out already, will ensure that in effect we will be addressing this issue of how we reverse the benefit freeze itself.

"I want to do it as part of an overall reform package and not just pick off one by one."

"I feel so strongly on this - we will deliver this in the first budget."

He also said the party would "get back to the Dilnot proposals" which included a £72,000 cap on care costs, due to be scrapped under Conservative plans.

Mr McDonnell said: "What he recommended was a cap which I agree because that gives the certainty to people about how much they will pay."

The Tories have been criticised for the proposals to shake up social care funding which could see more elderly people paying to be looked after in their own home.

"The reason some people are calling it unfortunately a Dementia tax is because you don't know what condition you'll suffer from, and if it is a more serious one like Dementia - and I tell you I've been through this in my family, I know what it's like - what happens is the burden falls upon you.

"Dilnot's proposals was also to have a threshold as well so there would be enough for your children to inherit if you had those assets.

"But he said this basic principle, which is the NHS principle, you pool the risk and in that way people are not left, as he said, on their own."

Conservative Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke said the country had to "face up" to the "significant costs" of health and social care.

Speaking to Andrew Neil on BBC 1's Sunday Politics, Mr Gauke said: "In the end someone is going to have to pay for this, it's going to be a balance between the general taxpayer and those receiving the services. We think we've struck the right balance with this set of proposals."

He said that people in residential care would have their "protection go up by four times as much", which he claimed was "eliminating an unfairness".

"That money has got to come from somewhere - we're setting out a proper plan for it."