THE PRIME Minister narrowly succeeded in getting MPs to back a new policy to cap social care costs in England.

Yesterday, MPs voted on plans to stop council support payments being included in the £86,000 cap on lifetime care costs.

The highly criticised reform to the Health and Care Bill was passed with a small majority of 26.

MPs voted 272 to 246 to add the proposal – 18 Conservatives voted against the plan, joining Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the SNP to cut the Prime Minister’s working majority of 80.

Across the county, the four Tory MPs voted in favour of the plans – whereas Labour MP Anneliese Dodds and Lib Dem MP Layla Moran voted against the proposal.

Who voted in favour of the plans?

  • Robert Courts (Conservative), MP for Witney
  • David Johnston (Conservative), MP for Wantage
  • John Howell (Conservative), MP for Henley
  • Victoria Prentis (Conservative), MP for Oxford North and Banbury

Who voted against the plans?

  • Anneliese Dodds (Labour), MP for Oxford East
  • Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat), MP for Oxford West and Abingdon

What will the new plan mean?

  • Anyone with assets less than £20,000 will not have to pay anything towards at-home care or help with carers at home from October 2023
  • Those with more than £100,000 in assets (including savings, investments and value of the property), will pay everything up to a maximum of £86,000
  • Those with assets of £100,000 or less can qualify for council help to pay, but the new changes will mean they will eventually have to pay £86,000 out of their own funds too

Mr Johnson has insisted the reform plans are ‘incredibly generous’ and ‘much better than the existing system’ – but the plans have come under fire.

The main concern raised about the bill reform is that it could disadvantage those who are less well-off and those with life-long conditions.