KEIR Starmer has refused to come clean on the impact of cutting pensioner benefits – as the Government continues to withhold their own analysis of axing universal Winter Fuel Payments.
Against repeated challenges, the Prime Minister refused to commit to publishing an impact assessment of the policy – which critics say risks the lives of thousands of pensioners.
Labour have brushed off their own analysis, published in 2017 when the Tories were considering a similar cut, and have been accused of rushing the changes through Parliament without proper scrutiny.
The party on Tuesday night voted to change the Winter Fuel Payment, which previously went to all pensioners, to a means-tested benefit in a move expected to strip around 10 million of their eligibility.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, opposition leader Rishi Sunak (below) said: “Pensioners watching will have seen that the Prime Minister has repeatedly refused to admit or to publish the consequences of his decision and we will continue holding him to account for that.”
Starmer refused on multiple occasions earlier in the session to commit to publishing the Department for Work and Pensions’ assessment of the impact of the changes.
Concerns have been raised it could risk the lives and health of pensioners affected by the cut, which the Government expects to save around £1.4 billion per year.
But ministers have also been warned that the cut could end up costing the Government more money, if all those eligible for Pension Credit, which grants access to the Winter Fuel Payment under the new rules, take it up.
Elsewhere, SNP MP Brendan O’Hara accused the Government of breaking international law by continuing to supply Israel with vital parts of fighter jets involved in the devastating assault on Gaza.
He said: “International law is clear: dropping 2000 pound bombs on densely populated civilian areas is a crime. And it’s beyond dispute that Israel has used F-35s [fighter jets] to do exactly that, yet the Government has chosen to exempt F-35 components from the arms licences suspension when all it had to do was say that Israel could not be the end user of UK-manufactured parts were included.
“Last week, the Prime Minister stood at that despatch box and he said, ‘We either comply with international law, or we do not.’ Why has he chosen not to?”
Starmer insisted the Government was “complying with international law”, adding: “I think all fair-minded members of the house would support the decision that we’ve taken.”
