Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg proposes £5,000 social care cap

Tory MP and prominent Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has said social care costs should be capped at £5,000.

Mr Rees-Mogg made his remarks in support of a new social care policy paper published by thinktank Policy Exchange.

The Tory MP said social care should be made “largely free at the point of use”, with the introduction of a £5,000 cap for those that can afford it.

“It is far better to pool risk and for the taxpayer, where appropriate, to step in and help those who would face ruinous costs on their own, making social care largely free at the point of use,” Mr Rees-Mogg said.

“This is something we can afford as a nation, as Sir Andrew Dilnot and others have pointed out, if we can only get our priorities right.”

The Brexiteer rejected the idea of a hypothecated social care tax as the amounts raised from this could vary during the economic cycle.

In a recent report, Tory MP Damian Green has suggested the adoption of a state pension model for social care.

Health and Soclal Care Secretary Matt Hancock has, meanwhile, called for an end to social care funding injustice, arguing pensioners should not be forced to sell their homes to fund their care.