Keir Starmer issues embarrassing correction after minister promises winter fuel changes
Minister "misspoke" after suggesting the Government is looking at doing more to soften winter fuel payments axe.
A Labour minister "misspoke" this morning when she suggested the Government is looking at ways to soften the impact of winter fuel payment cuts.
Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson made the comment on BBC Radio 4's Today programme amid a backlash at proposals to restrict the allowance to only the poorest pensioners.
However, Treasury sources said she "misspoke" in suggesting the Government was looking at doing more than encouraging further take-up of pension credit.
A number of possible options were set out to Dame Diana such as restricting winter fuel payments to households in council tax bands A to D and a social tariff for energy bills.
She said: “And I am sure that across Government all these measures are being looked at.
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"And of course we have a Budget coming up in October as well. So I’m absolutely confident that this is being looked at.
“We all understand how difficult this is, it’s difficult for members of parliament, I know myself I’ve received lots of representations from constituents, lots of emails, people are very exercised by this and we need to make sure we do everything we can to mitigate what you’re describing.”
Asked if she was sure mitigating measures were being considered, she said: “I’m not party to those discussions, I’m not privy to that. So that’s a matter that you would have to raise with ministers who have that responsibility.”
It comes amid ongoing fury over the decision to limit winter fuel payments to only those on pension credit.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves blamed the move on a £22 billion blake hole in the public finances left by the Tories, which they have denied.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a Labour rebellion tomorrow when MPs vote in the measure in the Commons.
Dozens of backbenchers are set to abstain, while a handful could vote against the government.
The Prime Minister yesterday admitted his new government would be "unpopular" as he sought to defend the controversial decision.
He said: "We're going to have to be unpopular. Tough decisions are tough decisions. Popular decisions aren’t tough, they are easy.
"When we talk about tough decisions, I'm talking about tough decisions, the things the last government ran away from, that governments traditionally run away from.
"I’m convinced that because they’ve run away from difficult decisions, we haven't got the change we need for the country."
