The more you need, the more you pay with May

Proposals in the Conservative manifesto to abandon a cap on care costs and take away free school meals for infant children shows the "nasty party is back."

Liberal Democrat Election Campaign Spokesperson Ed Davey commented:

"It is clear the more you need, the more you pay with May. Theresa May is betraying working families by snatching school lunches from their children and their homes when they die. The nasty party is back - hitting families from cradle to grave.

"The choices she's made in her manifesto will hurt over half a million frail elderly people and almost 2 million children.

"The Liberal Democrats will stand up to Theresa May's cold, mean-spirited Britain, protecting those that need the most help and fighting for more funding for our schools and hospitals."

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb, who secured a commitment to a cap on care costs as Care Minister, commented:

"Elderly people the length of Britain will shudder at these care cost proposals.

"Many elderly people currently will face the cruel situation of having to sell their home when they die to fund residential care home costs.

"Now the frail and elderly receiving care in their own home will face what is a 'Personal Death Tax' charged against their home. And the more help you need, the more Theresa May will snatch away when you die.

'The cost of at home care currently met by the state will now be clawed back from estates after death, hitting over half a million vulnerable people. It's clear that if you get old and frail, the costs are down to you and you alone.'

NW Hants Liberal Democrat candidate Alex Payton commented:

"By snatching those meals away and forcing families to pay hundreds of pounds per year for school lunches Theresa May will hit low-income working families the hardest.

"So much for helping the 'just about managing.' MPs will need to vote in the next Parliament to undo the legislation we passed to provide infants with free meals under the Coalition.

"Our local Conservative candidate must now come clean: will he troop through the lobbies to take away free lunches from the children of hard-pressed families? Will he back plans to take away the hard earned homes of our elderly to balance the government's books? Or will he have the decency and courage to vote to stop the Conservatives from becoming the party of lunch snatchers and home grabbers?"