At Prime Minister’s Questions, Keir Starmer was accused by Tory leader Rishi Sunak of “hiding” the impact assessment of the government’s winter fuel payment cuts, with concerns that the policy could lead to an increase in pensioner deaths. The policy, which will affect 10 million pensioners in England and Wales not receiving means-tested benefits, is expected to save over £1 billion this year. Sunak urged Starmer to publish the impact assessment, referencing Labour’s previous analysis that claimed the policy could cause almost 4,000 additional deaths.
Additionally, Sunak highlighted Labour’s claim of a £22 billion “black hole” left by the previous Tory administration, prompting Starmer to defend the decision to cut winter fuel payments as necessary to stabilize the economy and support increases to the state pension. Despite the criticism, Sunak maintained that the impact assessment should be made public for transparency.
In other news, the government announced over £600 million in support for Ukraine, including humanitarian aid and economic stability measures. Furthermore, a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane was announced by the Northern Ireland secretary, Hilary Benn, after decades of campaigning by the Finucane family. This decision was welcomed by the Irish government and John Finucane, Pat’s son and Sinn Féin MP.
Moreover, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds admitted that the deal with Tata Steel, which links government investment with improved terms for workers facing redundancy, falls short of his ideal but is a significant step forward in supporting the steel industry. Overall, these developments shed light on key policy decisions and actions being taken by the government and opposition.
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