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Theresa May left flustered and stuttering after dementia tax U-turn announcement

Dementia Tax: Here are all the U-turns Theresa May has made since she became Prime Minister

Theresa May was left flustered and stuttering after announcing an astonishing U-turn on the social care policy at the heart of the Conservatives’ election campaign.

A grimacing and visibly agitated Prime Minister struggled to respond to journalists who accused her of being “weak and wobbly” over plans to water down her “dementia tax”, just days after introducing the controversial policy pledge.

Speaking at the Welsh Conservative manifesto launch in Wrexham, her voice cracked as she insisted that “nothing had changed” and categorically denied a U-turn.

The unprecedented reversal left Ms May exposed to a barrage of criticism from the press pack in attendance.

One reporter, Channel 4's Michael Crick, said: “I don't recall a U-turn on a manifesto in any election... doesn’t this show that you are really weak and wobbly, not strong and stable?”

Others attacked the reversal as a “cynical attempt” to stop voters leaving in droves, and asked for Ms May to confirm there would be no further last-minute changes, just two weeks ahead of 8 June’s election.

Visibly rattled, Ms May shook her head at the accusations and repeatedly tripped up over her words, referring to "olderly people" and stuttering as she defended the reversal.

Gesticulating awkwardly, she said: “We have not changed the principles we set out in the manifesto," before later almost shouting as she insisted: “Nothing has changed! Nothing has changed!”

The Prime Minister insisted she was “clarifying any doubt about our social care policy and the family home” – before repeatedly accusing Jeremy Corbyn of making “fake claims” about it, offering echoes of Donald Trump's repeated use of the term "fake news" to describe stories he does not like.

“These are good and sensible plans – they provide the beginnings of a solution to social care without increasing taxes on younger generations,” she insisted.