Ed Miliband squirmed under pressure this morning after being shown a montage of Labour ministers repeatedly defending cuts to winter fuel payments – just 24 hours after Rachel Reeves dramatically reversed the policy.
❄️ Cold comfort for pensioners
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, the energy secretary was asked directly whether he’d apologise to the millions of pensioners who went without support last winter. But despite multiple chances, Miliband dodged the question.
Presenter Jon Kay reminded him:
“Millions of pensioners had a really anxious winter. Some told us their health was affected. Will you now apologise for this mistake?”
Instead of saying sorry, Miliband insisted:
“The chancellor took a decision to stabilise the nation’s finances… Two things have happened since then: we’ve stabilised the economy, and we’ve heard the strength of feeling.”
🔁 A full reversal – but no regrets?
Just yesterday, Reeves announced that the income threshold to receive the winter fuel payment will rise to £35,000 – meaning around 9 million more pensioners will now get the help they missed out on last year.
That reversal followed growing pressure within Labour and a public outcry over the decision to strip support from 10 million pensioners during a cost-of-living crisis.
But when pressed again, Miliband insisted:
“The chancellor is not going to apologise for a series of measures she took to stabilise the nation’s finances.”
📺 The receipts: BBC rolls the tape
That’s when Kay hit him with the kicker:
“Time and time again, you all told us it was not going to change. Let’s just play a sample.”
Cue a montage of Labour frontbenchers doubling down on the original cut:
- Reeves (July 30): “The decisions I made… are not decisions I wanted to make, but I had to act.”
- Angela Rayner (Sept 5): “We were left with very difficult circumstances.”
- Wes Streeting (Sept 12): “We are not prepared to duck the difficult decisions.”
- Matthew Pennycook (July 31): “This isn’t a change we wanted to make, but we did it with a heavy heart.”
😬 ‘This isn’t a U-turn?’
In a bizarre moment, Miliband claimed all those statements were “absolutely consistent” with Reeves’ announcement yesterday.
Kay couldn’t believe it:
“What, you’re saying this is not a U-turn?”
Miliband finally conceded it was “obviously a change on the threshold” but argued Labour had simply gained “room for manoeuvre” after fixing the Tories’ economic mess.
You can watch it below:
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