CONSERVATIVE voters who have a home that they would like to leave to their children or grandchildren should think very carefully indeed before voting for Theresa May on June 8.

Are you absolutely sure that you will not need any help in your own home towards the end of your life?

Do you know for certain that you will always be healthy and strong? If not, do you have younger relatives who live near enough and have the time to shop, clean and cook for you, if necessary?

Do you feel happy to have your children or grandchildren see to your personal needs?

At the moment, anyone who needs care in their own home, has to contribute to the cost of care if they have more than £23,500 of savings.

The value of their home is not included. Theresa May’s new proposal, in the Conservative manifesto, will raid all your savings and the value of your home, down to the final £100,000, to pay for your care.

Yes, your home won’t have to be sold until after you die, but your children or grandchildren will potentially have a huge debt to pay out of the proceeds.

So, ‘let us be clear’, as Theresa May would say.

If you are lucky enough not to need care in your later life, or have pockets deep enough to pay for it all yourself, you can now leave up to one million pounds worth of property to your children without any inheritance tax.

If you are unwise enough to fall ill or become frail and need some help in your own home, your children or grandchildren pay the price.

This isn’t a so-called ‘death tax’; (that was a fair and equitable way to share the cost of care).

This is a smash and grab raid, targeted at the property of disabled, ill or frail older people and yet another way to penalise some young people unfairly to pay for the needs of the old.

Sue Weir

Ebley