7 June 2017
Candidates representing various political parties in Bournemouth East went head-to-head over issues such as homelessness, social welfare, Brexit and the NHS at Immanuel Church in a recent hustings event.
The following is an extract from the report in the Bournemouth Echo.
Conservative candidate Tobias Ellwood faced tough questions about Theresa May's u-turn over the so-called "dementia tax". The "dementia tax" u-turn was made just four days after Teresa May made it the centrepiece of her election manifesto.
Green Party candidate Alasdair Keddie told the crowd of around 100 people that it was the "first-time in history a party has u-turned on a manifesto pledge".
He added: "Clearly the Tory social care policy is in complete and utter disarray.
"Forcing people to sell their homes for social care is just asset stripping of vulnerable people on a huge scale and now the Tories cannot backtrack fast enough.
"It's just one of the policies they tried to push through because they are so confident of a landslide victory."
In response Mr Ellwood admitted social care was "a bit of a hot potato".
The full Bournemouth Echo report can be read here.
