Theresa May announces cap on contributions in social care shake up after backlash against so-called ‘dementia tax’
Prime Minister sought to clarify flagship Tory policy as she hit out at Jeremy Corbyn for making 'fake claims' about it
THERESA May has announced today there will be a cap on contributions in her social care shake up after a backlash against the so-called "dementia tax".
The Prime Minister sought to clarify the flagship Tory policy and hit out at Jeremy Corbyn for making “fake claims” about the plans.
It comes after the polls have begun to narrow since the radical changes were unveiled in the manifesto last week.
As she launched her party’s Welsh manifesto this morning she attacked the Labour leader’s “attempts to manipulate the fears of old and vulnerable people”.
She said a Conservative government will publish a green paper on social care, which will include an absolute limit on costs.
It amounts to a significant concession by the PM, after the document she released just four days ago failed to include proposals from the Dilnot Report on social care.
They contained a ceiling on the total amount any individual would have to pay, but they were initially dismissed because they "mostly benefited a small number of wealthier people".
But having now said there will be a cap, Mrs May rejected claims she was making any sort of U-turn, telling reporters “nothing has changed”.
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The PM, speaking in Wrexham, said: “I want to put an end to Jeremy Corbyn’s fake claims and clarify any doubts about our social care policy and the family home.”
She said with two million more people over 75 years old in Britain over the next decade “we have to act”.
In a dig at the Labour leader Mrs May added: "The only things he has left to offer in this campaign are fake claims, fear and scaremongering.”
She went on to say: “This manifesto says that we will come forward with a consultation paper, a government green paper.
“And that consultation will include an absolute limit on the amount people have to pay for their care costs.
"So let me reiterate. We are proposing the right funding model for social care. We will make sure nobody has to sell their family home to pay for care.
“We will make sure there’s an absolute limit on what people need to pay. And you will never have to go below £100,000 of your savings, so you will always have something to pass on to your family.”
She is already coming under attack, with Wes Streeting, Labour's candidate for Ilford North, telling The Sun: "The Conservative policy on social care is a complete shambles and has caused millions of pensioners to worry.
“Theresa May is now asking pensioners to write her a blank cheque on the promise that she'll let them know the bill after the election.
“This isn't a U-turn, it's a fudge and people shouldn't fall for it.”
He added that “it is clear that the Tory plan for social care isn't strong and stable, it is weak and wobbly”.
And former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called it: "Theresa May’s manifesto meltdown."
But the PM was adamant there had not been a change of heart over the weekend, despite two polls seeing the Conservatives massive poll lead cut in half.
She said: “We have not changed the principles that we set out in the manifesto, we're very clear about the principles on which this policy will operate.
“In our green paper we will have an upper limit on the amount people will have to pay for care. But the basic principles remain the same as they were put in the manifesto last week.”
But speaking at a campaign event in Hull, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "A Tory U-turn on social care would be extremely welcome because I want this country to face up to its responsibilities to those who need care.”
Referencing that the he added: "If George Osborne is at last doing something useful in his life, of supporting proper funding for social care, then thank you George for that."
This morning another opinion poll showed a sharp fall in the Tories' lead, with the Survation survey for ITV's Good Morning Britain putting them on 43 per cent.
This is down five points on the previous week and nine points ahead of Labour - who are up five on 34 per cent.
The findings follow a clutch of four polls for Sunday newspapers which all showed Mr Corbyn’s party gaining ground - prompting talk of a "wobble weekend" for Mrs May.
Just yesterday Damian Green insisted the social care policy was settled and would not be revised.
The Work and Pensions Secretary, one of the PM’s closest political allies, told The Andrew Marr Show: "We have set out this policy which we’re not going to look at again."
Andrew Gwynne, Labour’s election co-ordinator, said: “Theresa May has thrown her own election campaign into chaos and confusion.
“She is unable to stick to her own manifesto for more than four days. And by failing to put a figure for a cap on social care costs, she has only added to the uncertainty for millions of older people and their families.
“This is weak and unstable leadership. You can’t trust the Tories - if this is how they handle their own manifesto, how will they cope with the Brexit negotiations?”
And Lib Dem leader Tim Farron hit out, saying: “As Theresa May has made clear herself, nothing has changed and her heartless dementia tax remains in place.
“This is a cold and calculated attempt to pull the wool over people’s eyes. Theresa May still wants to take older people’s homes to fund social care.”
Sarah Wollaston, who is seeking re-election as MP for Totnes, told BBC Radio 4 today: "There's a great deal of concern from people who feel they may have to face catastrophic care costs."
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said on The World At One: "I've never in my political life seen a U-turn on a manifesto, this is a first.
"In U-turning today, she hasn't quite U-turned because they haven't said what the cap would be."
He proposed levying an additional inheritance tax of up to 20 per cent to pay for social care - a policy previously derided as a "death tax".