TIMELINE OF A BROKEN PROMISE

JULY 4, 2011 A report by economist Sir Andrew Dilnot recommends a cap on sky-high care costs. It says an individual’s lifetime contribution towards their social care bill should be capped at £35,000. After the ceiling is reached, individuals should be able to apply for full state support. Sir Andrew also says the means-tested threshold, above which people are liable for full care costs, should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000.

APRIL 14, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron pledges in his election manifesto to bring in a care cap of £75,000, which should start in 2016.

JULY 17, 2015 Just weeks after the general election, the Government announces the policy to cap care costs in England will be delayed until 2020. The move came after councils write to ministers asking for a delay because of the ‘enormous pressures’ they face. The Department of Health says it is still ‘firmly committed’ to the cap.

MAY 17, 2017 Theresa May tries to tackle the issue at the general election campaign. The Tory manifesto sets out plans to quadruple to £100,000 the amount Britons can keep before having to pay for care. But it also says the care cap will be scrapped – and many pensioners will have to pay for care in their own home for the first time.

MAY 22, 2017 After the proposals are branded a ‘dementia tax’ and provoke an angry backlash, Mrs May performs a U-turn and says the Tories still intend to introduce a cap to care bills.

TODAY The Tories abandon their pledge.