SIR Keir Starmer today faces his biggest rebellion yet as dozens of Labour MPs prepare to refrain from voting to end winter fuel payments.
In a last ditch plea to red rebels, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds insisted OAPs will be better off by the end of this parliament, despite the controversial move.
This morning Mr Reynolds told Times Radio: “Fixing the foundations of the country isn’t just about difficult things like this, which are decisions that ideally you wouldn’t have to make.
“It’s about how you get to a better future.
“And that is exactly what we’re trying to do and that is what I would ask all colleagues to recognise and support today.”
The Business Secretary added: “I want to reassure people that we’re aware of how concerned some people are.
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“There is targeted support in place, and people will be better off.
“Pensioners will be better off this parliament.”
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves and PM have refused to water down their plan to strip nine million OAPs of the benefit — as union bosses accused them of “picking the pockets of pensioners”.
Up to 50 Labour MPs have threatened not to vote with the government in a Commons showdown today.
But the protest vote will likely fall flat given the scale of Labour’s majority.
It came as Ms Reeves last night warned Labour MPs threatening to rebel over winter fuel payments that “there are more difficult decisions to come”.
The Chancellor told Labour MPs that the elderly can afford to lose the benefit as the triple lock “means pensioners have £900 more in their pockets than they did a year ago”.
And she urged critics to hold their fire as things will get even rougher, adding: “I don’t say that because I relish it. I don’t.
“But it is a reflection of the inheritance that we face.”
Union bosses slammed the £1.5billion raid on the £200-£300 benefit previously paid to all over-65s.
Meanwhile, bungling Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson was slapped down after suggesting the Treasury was lining up cash to ease pensioners’ pain.
No10 said the Cabinet was united in the “tough decision” to help fix “the foundations of the economy”.
A spokesman for Ms Reeves said there are no plans to offer concessions to OAPs ahead of today’s vote.
At a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, one backbench MP raised the issue of changing the pension credit threshold to ensure more OAPs received the cash.
By Ryan Sabey
Sir Keir Starmer has been in the top job for just two months – but Tuesday will be one of the toughest yet.
The Prime Minister will find out how many of his own MPs really believe in the way he is executing his plan to fix the economy.
Sir Keir and his iron-fist Chancellor Rachell Reeves are adamant there is no u-turn coming on the decision to axe winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners.
But an important – if not crunch – vote will take place showing his own grip on the party.
Word amongst his own MPs is to watch how many abstentions there are among Labour MPs.
One MP told me earlier that abstaining is the only way to show you don’t like a policy.
Labour MPs – especially the new ones – are frightened of the consequences of voting against the party whip for fear of being kicked out of the Parliamentary party.
Many will suddenly find a hospital appointment to attend or an urgent engagement in their constituency so they can avoid walking through the division lobbies.
Expect the number of Labour MPs voting against Sir Keir Starmer’s wishes to be actually very low.
Labour will get through tomorrow and party bosses won’t be losing any sleep.
But the anger over cutting the allowance will simply grow.
Round the corner is the Budget on October 30th.
If the noise grows much louder, let’s see whether Downing Street can hold the line for much longer.
If the pressure becomes unbearable, at that point perhaps they can offer concessions.
But for now, they are sitting tight.
By giving in to the baying mob of Labour MPs will be a desperate sign of weakness so early on in their term of office.
When they’ve promised to fix the economy, they can’t be seen to be giving in too easily, too soon.
Critics say the winter fuel payment cut unfairly targets the elderly and will have little impact on balancing the books.
Age UK warn that up two million pensioners “who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it”.
