The Government’s last-minute changes to its social care plan has caused “a lot of disquiet”, which will put it under the spotlight when it comes to the Lords, a cross-bench peer has warned.
MPs narrowly backed the amendment Health and Social Care Bill, which will see only individual social care costs count toward the new £86,000 cap, by 272 votes to 246 after 19 Tory MPs rebelled and scores of senior figures abstained.
Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, was among those who failed to back the change, telling BBC Breakfast this morning he was “conflicted” by the Government’s shift on the cap. “It is one step in the right direction when we hoped for two or three [but] it doesn’t help as many people keep their houses,” he added.
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff said the Lords will scrutinise the Government’s social care reform “very, very carefully”.
The professor of palliative medicine told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I don’t think there will be any quick response one way or another, but I think we will spend quite a bit of time scrutinising….
“It may be that we will say to the Commons, ‘can you think again?’, it may be that we come up with constructive amendments to improve what is on the table at the moment because, clearly, there’s a lot of disquiet.”
