The Prime Minister was this week accused of amending her proposals to transform the way that people pay for adult social care.
Theresa May had made the reforms the flagship policy at the launch of the Conservative manifesto last week.
Under the plans, those in need of care at home would have to cover the costs themselves until the value of their assets – including their property – reached £100,000.
Although she had made clear that people would be able to defer the sale of their home if this became necessary, the change in the rules had been criticised criticism, with some detractors describing the strategy as being akin to a “tax on dementia.”
The fact that a cap on the the amount that people would have to pay – a key part of plans drawn up by Mrs May’s predecessor David Cameron – had been axed proved contentious.
In the face of mounting opposition Mrs May made an apparent U-turn.
On Monday she confirmed there would in fact be an absolute limit on what people would be expected to pay, in spite of the fact that the manifesto made no mention of any such cap.
The Prime Minister tried to play down suggestions that plans had been altered in the space of a few days and accused political opponents of scaremongering.
“Nothing has changed from the principles on social care policy that we set out on our manifesto,” she told journalists.
“Just one figure: in 10 years’ time, there will be two million more people over the age of 75. Now, our social care system will collapse if we don’t do anything about it.”
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