Brown blow as Lords delay plans for free home care

The Liberal Democrats claimed the Personal Care at Home Bill – which won Mr Brown headlines at Labour's conference last year – was now dead and the Government had been "humiliated" after peers effectively ensured it would not get through before the General Election.

Amid concern the plans to provide free care for vulnerable elderly people – at a cost of 670m a year – would inflict a huge burden on councils, Peers defeated the Government four times as they forced through amendments delaying implementation of the measures.

The cross-party revolt, which also involved Labour Peers including former Health Minister Lord Warner, prompted an angry response from Ministers who blamed the Tories, accusing them of delivering a "blow" to the vulnerable.

Shadow Health Minister Stephen O'Brien said: "We now have a real opportunity to begin the wholesale and real reform of social care which so many people need."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "This is a humiliating defeat for the Government on a shabby, shameless and short-term measure which would do nothing to heal a social care system in crisis."

But Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: "David Cameron must urgently explain why his peers have just overturned a Bill that went unopposed by the Tory party in the Commons.

"I'm sure that the families of those vulnerable people who stand to benefit will be bitterly disappointed and this will come as a blow to all the care charities who back this important measure."

Peers denied they were seeking to wreck the Bill, but the protests were led by Lord Best, a crossbench peer and President of the Local Government Association who warned of the "anxieties" of councils about finding annual costs of 250m during a time of economic turmoil.