Sir Keir Starmer has launched a “nasty financial attack” on British pensioners, Dame Priti Patel has warned.
The former home secretary, who is running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party, said the prime minister was targeting those “who have spent their working lives contributing to the very fabric of our nation”.
She slammed Sir Keir’s decision to cut winter fuel payments and vowed to take a stand against “this horrible, rotten government”.
Dame Priti launching her campaign to replace Rishi Sunakcriticised Sir Keir for the speech he made in the Rose Garden, 10 Downing Street, earlier this week.
She described it as “one of the weakest, most pitiful and dishonest speeches you will ever hear.”
Dame Priti said of the decision to end winter fuel payments: “He has been completely dishonest with his complaints and his claims about the British economy he inherited, which were clearly made to justify his nasty financial attack on the very people who deserve dignity in their retirement and who have spent their working lives contributing to the very fabric of our nation.
“These are our parents and our grandparents.”
Ms Patel criticised the “disgraceful way” the Government is treating pensioners.
She added: “I couldn’t be clearer. I couldn’t be clearer about this Government and the shameful way they are treating our pensioners, our parents, our grandparents, the very people who deserve dignity in retirement.
“I will support them. I will support them.
“We will ensure we have the resources to give them the dignity in retirement they truly deserve.
“And I have been championing the whole approach in terms of opposing this horrible, rotten government, against their plans to abolish these winter fuel payments.”
Sir Keir said on Tuesday that the October 30 Budget would be “painful” due to the state of the country’s finances.
The Labour Party has repeatedly accused the Conservatives to leave behind a £22bn black hole and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, set out a handful of initial measures in July designed to fill some of that hole.
Ms Reeves confirmed that cold weather payments will become means-tested.
Charities have warned millions of pensioners will face the worst winter on record after the energy regulator announced a hike in energy bills.
Ofgem confirmed the price cap would increase by 10%, so a typical household energy bill will rise to £1,717 a year from October – up from £1,568 in July.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has warned that millions of pensioners will have to find an extra £500 to heat their homes.
And a Labour MP has branded the government’s “denial” of winter fuel payments to 10 million pensioners “inhumane” and insisted it “must be reversed”.
Lord Sikka, who advised Jeremy Corbyn on policy, told the Daily Express: “Last winter, despite the winter fuel payment There were almost 5,000 deaths of over-retired people because they were unable to eat and keep warm.
“Every year, around 68,000 elderly people die in poverty.
“Cutting the PMA will cause more premature deaths.
“THE state pension is the sole or main source of income for most retirees and is insufficient to cover heating costs and other essentials.
“The loss of WFP will hurt the local economy as retirees are forced to cut back on spending on other goods and services. The government’s purported £1.4 billion in savings is unlikely to materialise.”
Caroline Flint, a former Labour MP and chair of the Energy Poverty Committee, which advises the government, said policymakers needed to “look beyond” just helping those receiving pension credit or similar benefits.
Ms Flint, author of the report, told The Telegraph: “There are some groups of pensioners who are not in receipt of benefits but who have lower incomes and also need support.
“The most immediate thing is to ask the Government to analyze the impacts of removing the winter fuel payment on some of these low-income pensioners who are just above the pension credit limit.”
Pension credit is only paid to pensioners with a weekly income of less than £218.15.
The winter fuel search operation, which is expected to save the Treasury up to £1.4 billion a year, has attracted a wave of criticism since it was announced.
A government spokesman said: “This government is absolutely committed to supporting retirees and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.
“But given the dire state of public finances we have inherited, it is only right that we target support to those who need it most, while we take the tough decisions needed to repair the foundations of our economy.”