Keir Starmer accused of letting pensioners DIE at Christmas in PMQs row with Kemi Badenoch over Labour's winter fuel payment axe
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Keir Starmer was warned that pensioners could die this Christmas after Labour took away their winter fuel payment. In the final Prime Minister's Questions before the festive break Tory leader Kemi Badenoch tore into him over the decision to make the £300 means-tested.
![[Sir Keir replied: 'The number one job of this Government was to put the finances back in order after the last government lost control. They left a £22 billion black hole and we had to take tough choices.]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/12/93271667-0-image-a-82_1734524362148.jpg)
It came after it was revealed yesterday that just over half of pension credit claims - which would allow people to claim the money - processed in recent months were dismissed. Ms Badenoch led off with a jibe at the PM over yesterday's decision to block a claim for £10.5bn of compensation for Waspi women who missed out when the state pension was raised to 65 for both sexes.
The Conservative leader told the Commons on Wednesday: 'For years the Prime Minister and his Cabinet played politics with the Waspi women. 'The Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) said Conservatives were stealing their pensions. She promised to compensate them in full, another broken promise.
'Now they admit we were right all along. But let's ask about another group of pensioners whose trust was broken. Since the Chancellor cut winter fuel payments, how many extra people have applied for pension credit?'. Sir Keir replied: 'The number one job of this Government was to put the finances back in order after the last government lost control. They left a £22 billion black hole and we had to take tough choices.
