A Tory MP tonight admitted the party should have “honoured” its promise to protect over-75s' free TV licences.
Damian Collins, a former chairman of the Commons Culture Select Committee, said the Conservatives should not have abandoned the pledge to pensioners.
He said: “That commitment had been made and should have been honoured.”
The Tories pledged at the 2017 election to maintain over-75s' free licences for the rest of that Parliament, which was due to run for five years.
But the BBC had already been handed responsibility for funding the concession from June 2020, under a deal agreed in 2015.
It said keeping licences free for all over-75s would cost £745million by 2021-22, so introduced means-testing.
Only over-75s who receive Pension Credit are now eligible – meaning an estimated 3.7 million have to pay £157.50 a year.
The cost rises to £159 next month.
Speaking at tonight's 90-minute debate led by the Petitions Committee, Mr Collins said: “The decision to scrap the free licence fees for the over-75s – that promise was made to people that those licences would be there.”
Labour MPs blasted the Tories for ditching its pledge.
Lashing out at the “callous policy”, Rosie Cooper said it was “a shameful example of the lack of compassion the Government has for older people”.
Gill Furniss said it was “deeply disappointing the Government have broken their longstanding commitment to over-75s to protect their free TV licence”.
She added: “Unfortunately, responsibility for providing free TV licences fell to the BBC under the last Royal Charter.
“This left them with the impossible decision of either ending this vital lifeline or significantly cutting their services.
“This was a deliberate act by the Government – they knew that transferring this responsibility without the adequate funding to support it would result in it becoming unsustainable.”
She urged ministers: “Lift this financial burden on our older people.”
Rounding on the Conservatives, Shadow Media Minister Chris Matheson said the Government “betrayed millions of pensioners” and “now refuse to accept responsibility for their broken promises and instead dump the blame on the BBC”.
Abandoning the commitment to the over-75s “had a real impact on significant numbers of isolated and disadvantaged older people on low and modest incomes”, he added.
But, defending ditching the pledge, Culture Minister John Whittingdale insisted: “It is the case that the agreement was reached with the BBC … and they agreed to take on responsibility for the over-75s.
“The Government remains disappointed that they decided not to continue with the full exemption and instead restricted it to those on Pension Credit.”
The corporation said previously: “The decision to remove free TV licences for the over-75s was taken by the Government, not the BBC.”
The Mirror has campaigned has fought to save free TV licences, with more than 18,000 readers backing the fight by completing coupons in the paper.
