During PMQs, Keir Starmer was accused by the Tories of “hiding” the impact assessment of the government’s winter fuel payment cuts, amid concerns that the policy could lead to an increase in pensioner deaths. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak highlighted Labour’s research from 2017, which suggested that scrapping winter fuel payments for better-off pensioners could result in nearly 4,000 additional deaths over winter.
The government’s changes to winter fuel payments are expected to reduce the number of pensioners receiving the payment by 10 million, saving over £1 billion this year. Sunak pressed Starmer to publish the impact assessment for means-tested winter fuel payments, citing Labour’s previous analysis that the policy could cause nearly 4,000 deaths.
In response, Starmer focused on increases to the state pension, emphasizing the commitment to the triple lock, which guarantees that the state pension will rise by inflation, average wage growth, or 2.5%. Despite being pressed by the Tories, Starmer refrained from engaging in a debate over the potential number of pensioner deaths due to the policy changes.
Overall, Starmer was deemed as fine during PMQs, and while his performance was not triumphant, he appeared focused on moving the discussion forward. He assured MPs that more information on cancer treatment would be shared the following day in response to the Darzi report on the NHS. Starmer also addressed concerns about the steel industry and the transition to renewable energy during the session.
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