Tory leadership contender dodged question on cancelling £1.4 billion a year tax raid on pensioners
Tom Tugendhat has refused to commit to reversing Labour’s winter fuel raid if he becomes prime minister.
The Tory leadership contender said he would “make sure that pensioners have dignity in old age”, but repeatedly dodged questions on whether he would restore the payments slashed by the Government.
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, hopes to save £1.4 billion a year by stripping millions of pensioners of the benefit, worth up to £300 per year.
The allowance was available to everyone of pension age, but now only those who receive pension credit and certain other means-tested benefits are eligible.
During a question and answer session with GB News’ Christopher Hope at the Tory Party conference, Mr Tugendhat said he would not have scrapped the benefit, but refused to be drawn on whether he would reverse the cut in government.
It is understood that Robert Jenrick would restore the payments, while Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly have both criticised Labour’s decision to scale back the allowance.
Mr Tugendhat insisted he could not “write a Budget today for four years’ time”, as members would expect the “honesty of knowing that they can trust what I say”.
But he went on to commit to abolishing Labour’s tax raid on private schools if he were to become prime minister, describing it as a “vindictive and nasty policy”.
Asked if he would restore the winter fuel payment, he said: “I would make sure that pensioners have dignity in old age.
“At the moment I would never scrap it, but we need to make sure in four years’ time we are ready to treat pensioners with the dignity they deserve.”
Pressed on whether he would restore it, he said: “I’m not going to be writing a Budget for four years’ time, I’m really sorry.
“If you want me to give you a glib answer and be dishonest with you, that’s not what our members expect.
“Our members expect, quite rightly, the honesty of knowing that they can trust what I say. I’m going to offer you the leadership that is honest and the honest leadership is I can’t write a Budget today for four years’ time.”
Asked again in a huddle with Scottish journalists whether he would reverse the winter fuel cut, Mr Tugendhat said: “So what I’m saying very clearly is I’m not going to write a Budget for four years’ time.
“That’s not what I’ll do. What I will do, however, is I’ll make a very clear promise and it’s a promise that applies more north of the Border. In fact, it applies more the further north you go.
“I will make sure that pensioners do not find themselves in winter poverty because of Labour’s desire to pay off their union paymasters rather than look after the most vulnerable in our community.
“That’s what I’ll do, and I’ll make sure that that applies across the whole of the United Kingdom.”
