Carol Vorderman demands apology from Keir Starmer over winter fuel payment cut

Carol Vorderman has called on Sir Keir Starmer to apologise for cutting winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners.

The presenter and author branded the decision by the Labour government to pursue the cut as "astonishing".

Appearing on Sky News' Politics Hub show with Sophy Ridge, she said she understood the decision to take away the payment from wealthy pensioners, who won't need support to warm up their homes this winter.

She told the broadcaster: "I'll be one of those in two years time. So I wouldn't need the winter fuel allowance payment."

However, she added: "But to go from 12 million to less than two million pensioners receiving it is just way too low.

"And I'm shocked by it, because they could raise that money in so many other ways."

The presenter, who in the run-up to the general election in July voiced her support for a tactical voting website designed to oust the Conservative Party from government, said when asked what Sir Keir Starmer should do now: "I think he should apologise. I absolutely do."

Asked by Sophy Ridge if she thought the newly-elected government had "duped" voters and the country during the election campaign, Ms Vorderman said: "I do, I really do.

"And I am shocked because, even extracting the fact that many pensioners will be suffering because of it… it is unbelievable that this new Labour government the first thing they do is that? It is not, I don't believe, what they were voted in to do, it is quite astonishing really."

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones replied to Ms Vorderman's remarks after being put to him by Ms Ridge by mentioning what the Labour government has branded a £22billion black hole.

He claimed: "We had a mandate [at the election] to get a grip of the public finances, and what we didn't know in opposition - what the public didn't know - was that the Conservatives had hidden the facts that there was £22bn of bills coming this year they'd put no money aside for."

After saying it is the new government's responsibility to "find the money" to keep the public services running, he added: "That's about resetting the budget so that at the Labour Budget on 30 October, we can start to invest in fixing the foundations and then start to deliver on our manifesto to rebuild Britain."

This came as MPs voted on the Labour policy on Tuesday afternoon.

Some Labour MPs showed uneasiness at the government's decision, with one supporting the Conservative motion.