KEIR Starmer has doubled down on cutting winter heating support payments to vulnerable pensioners – despite stinging criticism from within his own party.
The Prime Minister defended cutting the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners after major figures including Labour’s First Minister in Wales and the mayor of Doncaster criticised the decision.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch challenged the Prime Minister on the cut, asking if he would “now admit that he was wrong to remove the Winter Fuel Payment from millions of pensioners”.
Starmer claimed the Tories had left a “black hole” in the public finances and that it was the “number one job of his Government to fix that.
He added: “Because of our action, we’ve stabilised the economy, we’ve invested record amounts in the NHS, with a payment out for three million of the lowest paid and of course, we’re committed to the triple-lock, which improved pensions by £470 last year. Because of the work that we’ve done, we’re a country that countries like India want to do deals with because of the messages and the work that we’ve done.”
Badenoch pointed to criticism from Eluned Morgan (above), the Welsh FM who has called on Starmer to “rethink” the policy, and from Doncaster mayor Ros Jones who has said cutting pensioners’ benefits was “wrong.
She added: “The only black hole is the one that the Prime Minister is digging. This issue affects some of the poorest and most vulnerable pensioners.
“His mayor in Doncaster says it’s wrong, his First Minister in Wales says it’s wrong, even his own MPs are saying it’s wrong. He’s refused to listen to me on this: will he at least listen to his own party and change course?”
Starmer replied: “Let’s spell this out, all the parties opposite would take this country back to where it was a few years ago: broken public finances, interest rates through the roof, NHS waiting lists at an all time high, because no other party in this house is prepared to say how they would put the finances straight.
“No other party is saying how they would invest in our NHS and public services. No other party is focused on the long-term prosperity of Britain. No one on this side is denying how big the challenges that we face but no one on that side of the house is even prepared to take those challenges on.”
It comes after Downing Street on Tuesday slapped down suggestions the Government was thinking of reversing the cut, after reports suggested it may be revised.
Labour have admitted that axing the universal Winter Fuel Payment, which will now be paid only to the poorest pensioners, alienated voters at the recent English local elections, which saw major gains for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
But they have ruled out reversing the decision. In response to Morgan’s criticisms, with the Welsh FM saying the issue came up with voters “again and again”, the Prime Minister said that the Government had to “explain the decisions that we’ve taken”.
Starmer’s emphatic defence of the cut comes despite reports earlier in the week that Downing Street was reviewing the policy and considering whether to increase the threshold over which they are no longer entitled to the payment.
Currently, only pensioners with an income of less than £11,500 can claim for support towards their heating costs through the scheme, which was a policy brought in during Tony Blair’s premiership.
