A minister has failed to guarantee people will not have to sell their homes to pay for social care ahead of a possible Tory rebellion over the issue.
Paul Scully, the small business minister, told Sky News Boris Johnson’s 2019 manifesto promise was a “single headline” and it is not possible to tackle the problem of paying for social care by boiling it down into one line.
The government is facing a possible backbench rebellion today over anger that the least well-off may still have to sell their homes to pay for care.
MPs will consider whether to accept changes to the government’s proposed social care reforms announced last week that mean any help from the government will not count towards a lifetime cap of £86,000 – only what people pay privately.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said “everyone will be better off” under the reforms but MPs of all parties have said those with assets between £20,000 and £100,000 will struggle to reach that cap so may have to sell their homes to pay for care.
Mr Scully told Sky News’ Kay Burley: “There will be fewer people selling their houses and hopefully none.
“I can’t tell you what individuals are going to do.
“What I’m saying is the social care solution is all about getting a cap above which you do not need to pay – that gives people certainty.”
Pushed on whether Mr Johnson was lying about nobody having to sell their home to pay for care, Mr Scully added: “No, I don’t think he was.
“He was boiling down a complicated message – which is why social care hasn’t been dealt with in at least 10 years – to something that people could appreciate.”
He added: “If we boil it all down to a single headline then you’ll never tackle any thorny issue like social care.”
Mr Scully insisted that there needed to be a cross-party consensus on social care.
Source : skynews
