The so-called ‘dementia tax’ could wipe out up to half the value of average family home, the Liberal Democrats have warned.
Home secretary Amber Rudd has refused to rule out that a cap on how much someone would have to pay for their care could be as high as £300,000.
The Liberal Democrats say their analysis shows a cap set at £200,000 could wipe out more than half the value of an average family home.
The claim follows a controversial U-turn when prime minister Theresa May said there would be an upper limit to the policy announced in the Tory election manifesto, despite an earlier statement that there would be no cap.
The Liberal Democrats say the ‘dementia tax’ could wipe out 40% of the value of an average home in Mrs May’s own Maidenhead constituency.
Liberal Democrat shadow health secretary Norman Lamb said: ‘These figures show Theresa May’s dementia tax could devastate hard-working families, with a cap on costs in the hundreds of thousands.
‘Across the country, people risk seeing over half the value of their homes taken to pay for care costs.’
For more on the fall out from the Conservative manifesto launch read The MJ's 'Manifesto mayhem'.