May climbdown on ‘dementia tax’

British Prime Minister Theresa May made a public climbdown yesterday over plans to force elderly people to pay more for their social care, after her governing Conservative Party’s opinion poll lead halved in the run-up to a national election.

In her biggest misstep of the campaign to date, May set out plans last week to transfer a greater share of the cost of care for the elderly from taxpayers to recipients who can afford to fund it themselves.

That raised concerns some might see their houses sold off after their deaths to pay for care received, rather than passed on to their descendants. May’s opponents dubbed it a “dementia tax”, saying it will particularly hit those who need long-term care at home.

“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 … so you will always have something to pass on to your family,” May said yesterday.

She said opponents and the media had misrepresented the policy proposal which she called part of an important attempt to change the care system in an ageing society.

But May appeared flustered as she faced questions from journalists about her announcement of a cap.

“Nothing has changed, nothing has changed, we are offering a long-term solution for the sustainability of social care for the future,” she said, shaking her head and raising her voice as it was described as a U-turn by journalists. “Nothing has changed.” When May called a snap election for June 8, surveys indicated she would win a landslide. It changed after both the Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party set out their election pitches to voters last week.