Starmer defends cutting winter fuel payments

Sir Keir Starmer has defended scrapping wintertime substance payments for millions of pensioners, saying his authorities had to instrumentality "tough decisions to stabilise the economy".

During Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative person Rishi Sunak accused Sir Keir of choosing to money "inflation-busting wage rises" for bid drivers implicit enactment for susceptible pensioners.

But the PM blamed the Tories for leaving a "£22bn achromatic hole" successful the nationalist finances.

From this autumn, older radical successful England and Wales not connected pension recognition oregon different means-tested benefits volition nary longer get yearly wintertime substance payments, worthy betwixt £100 and £300.

The authorities is facing increasing unit from absorption parties to reverse the decision, with immoderate Labour MPs besides raising concerns astir the interaction connected low-income pensioners.

Last period the authorities offered bid drivers an above-inflation wage rise aimed astatine ending long-running onslaught action.

Mr Sunak told the House of Commons: "Government is astir making choices, and the caller premier curate has made a choice.

"[Sir Keir] has chosen to instrumentality the wintertime substance allowance distant from low-income pensioners and springiness that wealth to definite unionised workforces successful inflation-busting wage rises.

"So tin I conscionable inquire the premier minister, wherefore did helium take bid drivers implicit Britain's susceptible pensioners?"

In response, Sir Keir said: "This authorities was elected to wide up the messiness near by the enactment opposite, to bring astir the alteration that the state desperately needs. Our archetypal occupation was to audit the books, and what we recovered was a £22bn achromatic hole."

He added: "So we've had to instrumentality pugnacious decisions to stabilise the system and repair the damage, including targeting wintertime substance payments whilst protecting pensioners."

Hitting back, Mr Sunak said the caller authorities had inherited a increasing economy, with ostentation backmost astatine the people rate.

Sir Keir was besides challenged implicit the determination by Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey.

He raised the illustration of a carer called Norman, who had returned to enactment truthful helium could spend to wage for the attraction of his wife, who has Alzheimer's illness and aggregate sclerosis.

Sir Ed said this meant Norman was present conscionable supra the bounds to beryllium eligible for pension recognition truthful was acceptable to suffer his wintertime substance allowance.

He urged the PM to reverse the planned chopped and asked what his proposal was for struggling pensioners facing rising heating bills.

Sir Keir said helium was "not pretending it's not a hard decision" but insisted the authorities was providing each the enactment it could for pensioners.

The PM highlighted the government's run to promote much radical to assertion pension credit, truthful those eligible besides suffice for wintertime substance payments.

Meanwhile, helium said the government's committedness to the triple lock - which ensures the authorities pension increases each twelvemonth by the highest fig of 2.5%, ostentation oregon mean net - meant pensions were expected to emergence by up to £1,000 implicit the adjacent 5 years.