'Downton tax break could help wealthy hire servants'

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The Prime Minister will look at the idea during a summit in Sweden with other conservative leaders from northern Europe.

Swedish parents use a scheme which halves the cost of employing domestic helps. It also forces cleaners to register as taxpayers.

However, critics accused Mr Cameron of a "Downton tax cut", claiming it would help the wealthy to hire servants. Gavin Kelly, director of the Resolution Foundation think tank, said: "Tax breaks for family cleaners at the same time as cutting support for childcare for the poorest working mothers seems a wrong priority."

One of Mr Cameron's advisers, David Halpern, said the elderly should go back to work and move to smaller homes, as loneliness was "more lethal than smoking" and empty-nesters werefuelling the housing shortage.