Controversial manifesto in the spotlight

THE inquest into the Tories’ campaign will focus heavily on the party’s controversial manifesto.

While Labour’s manifesto was packed with big ‘retail offers’ for the voters, such as scrapping tuition fees and extra bank holidays, the Conservative’s 8 -page document contained little in the way of sweeteners.

Instead, to the horror of many Conservative MPs, it aimed a dagger at the heart of the party’s core older supporters, by promising to means test their winter fuel allowance payments, end the ‘triple lock’ protecting the state pension and leave them open to potentially huge social care costs. Tory high command had hoped the tough stance would be seen as the mark of a responsible government and contrast favourably with Labour’s tax and spend approach.

But the reaction on the doorstep was swift and overwhelmingly negative.

One Tory MP described the proposals as a ‘three spoonfuls of arsenic’, which immediately alienated many older voters.

Critics quickly nicknamed the social care proposals a ‘dementia tax’ – a phrase that infuriated Mrs May but which proved impossible to shake off.

Only four days later the Prime Minister was forced to soften the proposals by pledging a cap on care costs, while insisting that ‘nothing has changed’.

The fiasco also led to the first recriminations against Mrs May’s way of governing.

The manifesto was drawn up in total secrecy by a small group dominated by her powerful chiefs of staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill.

Many ministers have been angered at being shut out of her inner circle, and blamed the manifesto on her failure to take a collegiate approach. Mr Timothy,

who has clashed angrily with Chancellor Philip Hammond behind the scenes, was blamed for insisting on including the social care shake- up, although privately Tory sources acknowledge that he was not alone.

He was also blamed for a section in the manifesto which appeared to break with the party’s market approach, saying: ‘We do not believe in untrammelled free markets.’

To the exasperation of many Tory MPs, Mrs May also dropped previous pledges not to raise tax and gave few positive reasons to vote Conservative beside the PM’s pledge to deliver on the Brexit referendum result. The problem was compounded by media management which saw the social care policy briefed to the media the night before the manifesto was published.

Observers expected the controversy to be swept away by exciting new Tory polices.

But the cupboard was bare, allowing the row to gather momentum.