General Election 2017: Tory ministers forced to defend controversial social care plans amid polls hit

Boris Johnson was forced to defend Theresa May on Peston on Sunday
EPA
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tory ministers have been forced to defend controversial plans to overhaul the funding of social care amid signs they could be hurting the party's election prospects.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Theresa May had shown "bravery" in tackling the issue in the Tory election manifesto at a time when an ageing population was putting increasing pressure on resources.

His defence came after four opinion polls for the Sunday newspapers saw Labour close the gap on the Conservative party.

One survey, by YouGov for the Sunday Times, saw the Tory advantage narrow to just nine points.

And with the Tories' poll lead apparently diminishing, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron warned the new system - which he dubbed the "dementia tax" - would become Mrs May's version of the poll tax which led to Margaret Thatcher's downfall.

"My prediction is it will bring her down," he told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

Under the Conservative blueprint, the planned £72,000 cap on care costs - due to be implemented in 2020 - would be scrapped.

Instead people would not have to pay for their care if they have assets of below £100,000 - including the value of their home - rather than the current threshold of £23,500.

While payment could be deferred until after a person has died, those receiving care in their own homes - and not just those in residential care - will be liable to pay.

Critics warned that under the changes people with conditions such as dementia would be faced with bills running to tens of thousands of pounds.

Mr Johnson acknowledged that there were concerns about the plan but insisted that the "broad thrust" was right.

He told ITV's Peston on Sunday. "This is necessary. We face another two million over the age of 75 in the next 10 years. We have to do something about the huge costs of social care.

"I think it is a mark of Theresa May's bravery and candour with the electorate that she is doing this. It shows the strength and purpose she will bring to everything she does if we are re-elected."

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green insisted the plan would not change - although he said they would be publishing a green paper covering both health and social care over the summer.

He said the proposals meant that elderly people would be assured of being able to pass on at least £100,000 to their family when they die.

"This removes the terrible decision of how long you try and keep someone at home or maybe put them into residential care which is a real decision that many families struggle with," he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.

"That decision needn't be influenced by financial considerations any more.

"Everyone knows there will be a decent inheritance for them, nobody will have to lose their home during their lifetime or the lifetime of their surviving spouse."

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour would return to the care cap originally proposed by the economist Sir Andrew Dilnot.

He told The Andrew Marr Show: "That gives the certainty to people about how much they will pay.

"Dilnot's proposal 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."

Additional reporting by Press Association

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in