ANGER mounted last night over the PM’s social care plans after the minister in charge admitted people’s homes may have to be sold after death to cover bills.
It came as ministers revealed they would try to ram through the entire legislation to hike taxes in a single day next Tuesday in a bid to dampen any rebellion.
Boris Johnson was this week forced to ditch his Tory manifesto pledge that no one would be forced to sell their home to pay the spiralling costs of social care.
Ministers now say they will not have to do it in their lifetime — but schemes to claw back cash after death will be set up.
Care minister Helen Whately admitted yesterday: “We are going to make sure that everybody can access something called a deferred payment agreement, which means that if they do need to draw on the value of their home to put towards the cost of their care, they won’t have to sell it during their lifetime.
“People do need to draw on some of the value of their home to fund their care. That’s about the level of detail I can go into at the moment.”
Ministers are still unable to fully explain how the policy will work, frustrating Tory MPs who have begged for more information.
On Wednesday evening, five Tories voted down the PM’s plans in principle in a crunch Commons vote, while 37 Tories abstained.
It is a warning shot to No10 over a possible rebellion to come.
Tory MPs are privately furious the PM has shredded their reputation as the party of low taxes to pay for the care plan — and yet people will still have to sell their houses.
And they are angry the £86,000 care cost cap will not cover accommodation, meaning people still risk racking up huge costs if they are in the care system for years on end.
Tory MP Sir Roger Gale, who abstained on the vote, said: “That cap does not extend to the ‘hotel’ costs of residential care and those costs of accommodation and food add up to a considerable amount.”
