Jeremy Corbyn blames massive Government cuts for social care crisis in clear PMQs victory

The Labour leader floors Theresa May by saying 'The Prime Minister does not seem to be aware that £4.6bn was cut from the social care budget in the last Parliament'

Jeremy Corbyn today blamed a staggering £4.6bn of cuts for the social care crisis – describing it as “made in Downing Street”.

In one of his best Prime Minister’s Questions performances, the Labour leader traced the alarming care failures to harsh austerity since 2010.

Mr Corbyn asked Theresa May if she knew the scale of the cuts imposed on local authority social are services since the start of the decade – but received no answer.

He then said: “The Prime Minister does not seem to be aware that £4.6bn was cut from the social care budget in the last Parliament.

“Not mentioned in the autumn statement, underfunded and many elderly people left in isolation and increasing risk because of the lack of Government funding.”

Mr Corbyn also said: “This is social care system that’s deep in crisis. The crisis is made in Downing Street by this Government,” and he added: “Get a grip and fund it properly.”

In reply, Ms May said she recognised there are "immediate" pressures on social care - which would be addressed by the ‘precept’ on council tax bills, to raise extra funds.

But she also said: "The difference between the worst-performing council in relation to delayed discharges and the best is a 20-fold difference.

"That's not about the difference of funding, it's about the difference of delivery."

She blamed some Labour councils – naming Ealing, in London – for a “worse performance”, because they had not raised the precept.

The Prime Minister also pledged to find “a long-term solution”, insisting she would not duck the need to reform social care funding, as Labour had for 13 years.

However, the Conservatives are hugely vulnerable on the issue, having twice shelved long-term proposals to overhaul social care, both in 2012 and last year.

At the 2015 election, the party pledged a £72,000 cap on how much people have to pay before the state steps in, to ensure "no one has to sell their home".

But it was delayed until 2020, because the £6bn cost was deemed an unaffordable “expensive new commitment” at a time of austerity.

Furthermore, David Cameron was believed to be ready to set up a cross-party commission to find a long-term solution before he left office – but the idea appears to have been dropped.

The clash came as The Independent was told that council tax bills will be allowed to rise by three per cent next year and the year after, to fund better social care.

The ‘social care precept’ will be higher, in both 2017-18 and 2018-19, than the two per cent announced last year, by former Chancellor George Osborne.

A three per cent increase to the average Band D property bill of £1,530 will be £45.80 a year – and a rise of more than £91 in 2018-19, compared with this year.

But Mr Corbyn called that a “con” – because it will raise more money in richer areas – repeating his call for corporation tax cuts to be axed instead.