Angela Rayner squirms as she defends plans to scrap winter fuel allowance for 10 million pensioners – after slamming the Tories online for similar cuts while in opposition _ Hieuuk
Angela Rayner was left squirming yesterday as she defended controversial plans to scrap the winter fuel payment for 10million pensioners.
The Deputy Prime Minister was challenged over previous comments in which she accused the Conservatives of plotting to cut the payment which is worth up to £300.
She said she now supported the plan to remove the annual payment from all but the poorest pensioners – but denied her previous comments were ‘duplicitous’.
During the 2017 election, Ms Rayner tweeted: ‘Labour will protect the triple lock on state pensions, maintain the winter fuel allowance and free bus passes for pensioners.’
She also accused the Conservatives of plotting to remove the payment, saying: ‘The Tories want to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners in England but not in Scotland? Why do they treat pensioners so badly in England?’
The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was challenged over previous comments in which she accused the Conservatives of plotting to cut the payment which is worth up to £300
Keir Starmer (pictured) was berated by Rishi Sunak on Thursday for axing winter fuel allowance in the first session since Parliament returned from its summer break
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But Ms Rayner defended her change of heart.
Challenged over her previous comments, she said: ‘Since then we have had Liz Truss‘s disastrous Budget and we have got a £22billion blackhole so it is about choices.’
Asked if she had been ‘duplicitous’ she said: ‘No, there are a lot of things over my lifetime as a politician I would wish to be doing now but, because the economy is in a very different place, because of the actions of the previous government, we cannot do those things.’
The row came as Commons leader Lucy Powell confirmed ministers have bowed to pressure to allow a Commons vote on the issue next Tuesday.
