FURIOUS Nigel Farage today slammed Sir Keir Starmer for stripping a 99-year-old British war hero of his winter fuel payments.
Jim O’Dwyer, one of the last living Lancaster bomber pilots, is among the nine million OAPs set to lose out on the cash.
Mr O’Dwyer, who lives in Mr Farage’s Clacton constituency, flew 31 missions as a rear bomber.
But the elderly vet will have vital heating payments hoisted off him because he just misses out on being eligible for pension credit.
The war hero’s daughter Jenny blasted Sir Keir over the move.
She told The Sun: “The government’s policy is a disgrace”.
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Mr Farage fumed: “My constituent Jim O’Dwyer is a 99 year old WW2 veteran.
“He flew 31 missions as rear gunner in Lancaster bombers.
“Due to a small pension he is having his winter fuel payment stopped.
“This is a disgrace. Is this really what Starmer and Reeves want?”
The PM 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.
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.
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 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”.
