Keir Starmer made exacting promises on borrowing. Now he either breaks them – or makes more cuts and bleeds popularity
Most Labour MPs would not have wanted 1.6m pensioners with disabilities to lose their winter fuel payments because of government cuts. But they didn’t know, because a partial assessment of the measure’s impact was only released on Friday evening, three days after they voted on it in the House of Commons. Last month the chancellor claimed spending cuts were “not the choices I wanted to make or expected to make”. The result has been to suck buoyancy out of a government still less than 100 days old, and to boost the morale of its critics, including the Reform party.
As winter sets in and fuel bills go up, many people will go cold or hungry or both. Opponents of this government, in parliament and the press, will maintain a laser-like focus on pensioners suffering because they’ve lost their fuel allowance. Ministers can expect their expense claims to be scrutinised to see how much they’ve received for heating their homes. It’s a good thing Sir Keir Starmer is reconciled to being unpopular, because his approval ratings are unlikely to pick up much this side of Christmas.
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