THERESA May’s U-turn, the proposal to introduce a cap on care contributions, makes her raid on the value of people’s homes after their death less fair, not more fair.

The one good thing about the policy as first stated was that the very wealthy would pay more towards their care than those with moderate estates.

This would plug a hole in the public finances and leave more in the pot for the rest of us.

She hasn’t told us the level of the cap but suppose it was set at £100,000.

In the Stroud area, an average house is worth around £230,000.

Someone with an average house and, say, a modest £10,000 in savings will have to surrender over 40 per cent of their estate to care costs.

Their neighbour with a million pound house and, say, £100,000 of investments will surrender less than one percent of their wealth.

Who will be paying the balance of the care costs of the wealthy?

Why, the rest of us, of course, including the young people that Theresa May was apparently so keen to protect with her ‘fairness across generations’.

I despair! How can Theresa May get it so wrong again?

Sue Weir (Dr)

Ebley