Actor Christopher Biggins has launched a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer over Labour’s winter fuel allowance cuts, questioning the Labour leader’s conscience.
“I don’t know how he has the guts to actually get up in the morning and look at himself”, Biggins said during an appearance on GB News.
The television personality expressed particular concern for elderly voters, stating: “It is so disgraceful. These pensioners who’ve paid their taxes for years and years and this is, I would have thought, his big audience. A lot of these pensioners voted for him.”
The criticism comes as Labour faces mounting pressure over its decision to restrict winter fuel payments.
Christopher Biggins lashed out at Starmer
PA / GB NEWS
Under the government’s new policy, around 10 million pensioners will no longer receive winter fuel payments starting this winter.
The benefit will now be restricted to those who receive pension credit, as part of efforts to reduce costs.
The winter fuel cut has proven to be unpopular among pensioners
GETTY
Ministers have defended the controversial move, saying it is necessary to address a £22 billion budget shortfall they claim was inherited from the previous Conservative administration.
The decision represents a significant shift in policy, affecting millions of elderly people who previously relied on the payment to help with heating costs during winter months.
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Trade union Unite has launched legal action against the government’s decision, threatening a judicial review over the winter fuel payment cuts.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “People do not understand, I do not understand how a Labour government has taken away the fuel allowance of millions of pensioners just as winter approaches.”
Eamonn Holmes waded in on the discussion to accuse the Government of being ‘ageist’
GB NEWS
The union has given the government until November 7 to respond to a pre-action letter and reverse the cuts.
Unite claims the government broke the law by failing to properly consult the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) before implementing the changes.
The union has also criticised the lack of a full assessment regarding the policy’s impact on disabled people.
If the judicial review proceeds, the High Court will determine whether the government’s actions were unlawful, particularly regarding consultation processes.
The outcome could force the government to reconsider the policy if the court finds proper procedures weren’t followed.
However, given the significant budget pressures, ministers may be reluctant to completely reverse the cuts even if public and union pressure continues to mount.