Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “raising hopes and smashing them” with a sequence of “broken promises”.
The Tory chief opened PMQs with an assault on the federal government’s resolution to not compensate Waspi girls, regardless of the prime minister beforehand pledging “rapid justice” for the group.
She then pivoted to the lower to winter gas funds – although the Conservative was reminded she had beforehand referred to the profit as a “dead weight” and referred to as for means-testing it.
Politics Stay: PM responds to backlash over Waspi resolution
Ms Badenoch mentioned: “For years, the prime minister and his cupboard performed politics with the Waspi girls and the deputy prime minister (Angela Rayner) mentioned Conservatives had been stealing their pensions.
“She promised to compensate them in full. Another broken promise. Now they admit we were right all along.”
The federal government mentioned on Tuesday that compensating girls born within the Nineteen Fifties affected by a rise to their retirement age would “burden” the taxpayer with a £10.5bn invoice.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has since defended the announcement by saying that the majority girls knew it was coming.
A number of cupboard ministers and Sir Keir himself have additionally beforehand expressed assist for the Ladies In opposition to State Pension Inequality (Waspi) marketing campaign group, who’ve lengthy argued they weren’t given adequate warning in regards to the pension age altering.
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Chancellor defends Waspi girls resolution
At PMQs, Ms Badenoch continued her argument by saying there was one other group of pensioners whose “trust had been broken” by the federal government – those that not qualify for winter gas funds.
“The tragic reality this Christmas is pensioners will suffer and may even die as a result of this cruel policy,” she mentioned.
Sir Keir retorted he needed to “put the finances back in order after the last government lost control”, and left a “£22bn black hole”.
Stabilising the economic system protects the triple lock on pensions, the prime minister mentioned, declaring that shadow chancellor Mel Stride has lately described the lock as “unsustainable” – regardless of Tory guarantees at this yr’s election.
“Now she says they are committed to the triple lock… maybe over a sandwich or a steak they could sort it out and come back and tell us what their policy actually is,” the prime minister mentioned, in a quip at Ms Badenoch’s latest sandwich criticism.
Sir Keir added: “She used to say that the [winter fuel payments] were a dead weight. She said there were members of her constituency who didn’t need it, and they all stood in 2017 on a manifesto, a Tory manifesto, that committed to getting rid of the universal winter payments for pensioners.”
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Badenoch’s dislike of sandwiches was referenced once more at PMQs
Ms Badenoch hit again: “Pensioners won’t be able to heat their homes because of his government’s decisions. They raise people’s hopes but then smash them with broken promises.”
“The truth is they are punching the British people in the face – literally, in the case of one of his MPs,” she added, apparently referring to allegations towards Mike Amesbury MP.
Sir Keir replied: “A £22bn black hole, record waiting lists with the NHS… immigration completely out of control, nearly a million net migration. She was the cheerleader for all of that. She wants the truth. That’s the truth.”
