Campaigners have blasted the latest delay to overhauling social care after Rishi Sunak kicked the crisis into the long grass.
Speaking on his trip to Washington DC, the Prime Minister failed to set out when the Government would cap crippling social care costs.
Asked about a deadline, he said: “What we've done is invest billions of pounds into social care right now.
“Given the situation we face, it's right that money was going in to actually just build resilience, expand capacity in the sector - £14billion at the Autumn Statement last year in both the NHS and social care that was warmly welcomed by the sector.”
The £86,000 cap on care costs was due to be introduced this October.
However, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's used November’s Autumn Statement to shelve the plan until October 2025 - meaning some people will continue to pay more than £86,000 for lifelong care needs.
However, the Government announced an extra £2.8billion would be available for adult social care in 2023/24 and £4.7bn the following year.
Mr Sunak’s intervention in the US means the October 2025 plan is now in doubt - despite the Tories pledging for years to tackle the care crisis.
Speaking outside No10 on the day he became Prime Minister in July 2019, Boris Johnson pledged: “I am announcing now – on the steps of Downing Street – that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared to give every older person the dignity and security they deserve.”
The Tories’ 2019 manifesto pledged: “Nobody needing care should be forced to sell their home to pay for it.”
Older people’s groups blasted the latest delay.
Age UK Charity Director Caroline Abrahams said: “It would be fairer to the public for there to be a clear statement of intent from the Prime Minister either way, rather than leaving the cap hanging and people facing huge bills wondering if this relief is on the way or not.
“Meanwhile, the extra funding given to social care that (Mr Sunak) refers to has been crucial, but he must know that after many years of underfunding it barely touches the sides."
Sadly, whichever party wins the next general election will have a huge job to do in stabilising social care and bringing it up to the standards older and disabled people are entitled to expect.”
Silver Voices director Dennis Reed said: "Rishi Sunak's admission that the cap on catastrophic care costs has been delayed indefinitely is the final betrayal of the promises made to older people by Boris Johnson outside Downing Street in 2019.
“The Conservatives promised that no-one in future would have to sell their homes to pay for social care, but thousands of older people are doing just that each year because of this callous ditching of promises by the Government.
“The drubbing Conservatives got in the local government elections was in part due to older people deserting them in droves as a result of broken promises and inaction on the health and social care crisis.
“The answer to catastrophic care costs has been obvious for 20 years - social care should be free at the point of delivery just like the NHS."
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting pointed to comments by former Health Secretary Mr Hunt that “the biggest regret of his career was not fixing social care”.
Mr Streeting told the Fabian Society think tank: “On becoming Chancellor, he swiftly kicked the Government’s policy into the long grass.
“We now learn that Rishi Sunak plans to ditch it altogether.”
Lib Dem health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: "Our social care system is on its knees and the Government is nowhere to be seen.
"Again and again, the Conservatives have broken their promise to fix social care and this latest delay to the cap on care costs sadly comes as no surprise.
"The Conservatives promised to fix social care and that no one would have to sell their home to pay for care. Instead people continue to face ruinous care costs through no fault of their own.”
The Mirror is campaigning for Fair Care For All.
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