Former St Albans councillor poses a question on The Battle For Number 10

Philip Webster appeared on The Battle for Number 10 and asked Theresa May a question about social care reforms. Picture: Danny Loo (Image: Danny Loo Photography 2017)

Philip Webster, 89, of Townsend Drive, appeared live on Sky News on the night of Monday, May 29 to pose his question to Prime Minister Theresa May.

He said: “It was about my generation being able to leave the full value of their properties to their children.”

Philip, a former St Albans Conservative councillor who has lived in St Albans for nearly 50 years, asked the question as part of a discussion about pensioners paying all of their care costs, in which the Prime Minister said she would introduce a cap of the total cost of bills.

He said: “My understanding is it would mean that people with dementia would have to pay for their own care in care homes until they were down to their last £100,000. I didn’t think it was fair to single out dementia sufferers.”

Philip also explained how he was selected for the programme. He said: “About 10 days before people who had expressed an interest were asked to submit questions and answers.

“They were asked questions about their backgrounds and their political leanings and what their voting intentions were this time, and were asked to submit questions to either one party leader or both party leaders. Some days beforehand I was given a ring and told they liked one my questions.”

Philip, who left the Conservative Party after David Cameron became Prime Minister, said: “I was interviewed afterwards, which took me completely by surprise, and I said I thought Mrs May answered it very well from her point of view but not very well from my point of view.

“It was an interesting experience.”

In The Battle for Number 10, which aired from 9.30pm to 11pm on Sky News and Channel 4, Jeremy Paxman interviewed both party leaders, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. Members of the studio audience were then able to put questions directly to both party leaders.