Rishi Sunak has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “hiding” an impact assessment on the winter fuel payment cut for 10 million pensioners.
Mr Sunak asked Sir Keir twice if he would publish an impact assessment on the policy after Labour MPs voted on Tuesday to push the cut through.
However, Sir Keir responded by saying his government was left with no choice because Mr Sunak’s administration had left the economy with a £22bn “black hole”.
He refused to answer whether there was an impact assessment or not, and if he would publish one.
Mr Sunak said the cut has “nothing to do with public finances” and said Chancellor Rachel Reeves this morning “admitted that she would prefer it if this policy didn’t even raise any money”.
He also said the government would “obviously…not have made this decision without any impact analysis, and yesterday the energy minister confirmed that”.
Rishi Sunak accused Sir Keir of ‘hiding’ an impact assessment
On Tuesday, Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said her department had assessed the impact the cut will have on pensioners living in fuel poverty.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said a document would be published “in due course”, prompting criticism from left-wing Labour MPs who said failing to publish the information prompts accusations the government is hiding details.
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After Sir Keir again refused to say if he would publish an impact assessment, Mr Sunak said: “Today, pensioners watching will have seen that the prime minister has repeatedly refused to admit or to publish the consequences of his decision, and we will continue holding him to account for that.”
The prime minister accused the Conservative leader of having “no contrition, no responsibility for the economic black hole, the broken NHS, the prison crisis, the ruinous legacy of 14 years of failure”.
Sir Keir’s official spokeswoman later said: “The government’s operated with openness and transparency on this particular advice that’s being referred to.”
She added: “The prime minister has levelled with the public on the challenge that we’re facing and action that needs to be taken and the mitigations that have been put in place to support vulnerable pensioners.”
Pensioners not claiming pension credit will now not receive the up to £300 they usually receive each winter to help with heating bills.