Starmer says fuel payment squeeze will help ‘fix the foundations’ of economy

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a Labour backlash and fresh Tory attacks over the Government’s decision to strip the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners.

The decision by the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves would result in a “bureaucratic and unpopular means test” for older people, Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan said as he tabled a Commons motion calling for the Government to delay the move.

Only those receiving pension credit or other means-tested benefits will be eligible for the payment in England and Wales as a result of the Government’s decision, which ministers have said is needed to help fill a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.

But Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch accused ministers of being “dishonest” about the state of the public finances, claiming they were trying to “pull the wool over the eyes of the British public”.

Sir Keir defended the move, which is intended to save around £1.5 billion this year.

He said: “I don’t want to cut the winter fuel allowance … but we’ve got to fix the foundations of our economy and that’s what this is all about – making sure that we fix the foundations and then, having done that, that we can build a better future that pensioners and so many other people voted for in this election.”

Responding to Ms Badenoch’s comments, the Prime Minister told reporters during a visit to an Orpington primary school: “I say I’m not going to take lectures from anyone from the previous government who left the worst possible inheritance.

“The country is in a real state, the economy has been badly damaged, nobody really argues in relation to that.

“There’s a £22 billion black hole unaccounted for, not on the books, the OBR didn’t know about it.

“So, I think that what the Conservatives could do was to apologise for the mess that they made.

“What we’re doing is cleaning it up. We’re going to strip it out, make sure that we rebuild the foundation so we can bring about the change that we were elected to bring about in this country.”

The Poole MP’s motion said the measure was being introduced “without prior consultation or an impact assessment, nor with sufficient time to put in place a proper and effective take-up campaign for pension credit”.

It failed to take account of the “modest incomes” of those just above the threshold for pension credit and was announced before a 10% hike in the energy price cap which will see the average household’s bill rise by around £149 from October.

He warned that “colder homes make older people more susceptible to poor health, including hyperthermia, respiratory and circulatory disease” and called for a delay on the policy until there was a “comprehensive strategy aimed at tackling fuel poverty, health inequalities and low incomes among older people”.

Other public signs of dissent in the Labour ranks were however scant as MPs gathered for the first Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) meeting following the summer recess.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall took questions on the issue from the PLP, but those leaving would only describe the gathering as “collegiate” when asked by reporters.

The Tories accused the Government of “running scared” by declining to put the plans to a vote in Parliament.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said: “Not only do they want to block Parliament having a say on their plans, they have not published an impact assessment as they want to hide the true costs to pensioners.

“There is no reason not to grant this debate and vote on this other than to ride roughshod over Parliament – the only reason Labour aren’t granting one is because they are running scared of asking their own MPs to vote on this matter.”

The Liberal Democrats had also called for a vote and deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “To push these cuts through without any other measures to mitigate the impact on millions of poorer pensioners, and with minimal parliamentary scrutiny, risks damaging the public’s trust in politics and putting the most vulnerable at risk.”