Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for a tax on the wealthiest instead of cutting support for “struggling pensioners”.

Speaking after arriving at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton on a jet ski, Sir Ed said his party is the only one offering up a solution on how to “plug the awful financial mess the Conservatives left us with”.

More than 10 million pensioners will lose winter fuel payments under government plans which have been heavily criticised by opposition MPs, some Labour MPs and charities.

Sir Ed told Sky News he would have levied a capital gains tax against the wealthiest instead.

“The Conservatives won’t admit there’s a problem, there is a problem, the financial deficit is large, the Conservatives ran the budget in a very bad way, there needs to be a solution to that,” he said.

“But withdrawing winter fuel payments from struggling pensioners isn’t the solution so we’ve put forward in the House of Commons our solution.

“We’ve said, look at the capital gains tax on the very, very wealthiest.

“So there are alternatives to this. The government doesn’t have to do this.

“It has to clear up the Conservatives’ mess. But there are other ways, much fairer ways to do that.”

Sir Ed said his party would also reverse the tax cut the Conservatives gave banks “to deal with the deficit and avoid these painful policies”.

He said it is possible to give the winter fuel payments to all but the wealthiest pensioners and this has been done before with child benefit.

“But that’s not what the government are proposing,” he added.

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The Lib Dems have pledged to be a “constructive opposition”, choosing to do politics differently from the attack method other parties have chosen to adopt.

“We’re going to be the best opposition in parliament, far better than the Conservatives by being constructive, by putting forward alternatives,” Sir Ed said.

“And I think we’re the only group of people doing that, saying this is where you should get the money from to plug the awful financial mess left by the Conservatives.

“Don’t take it from struggling pensioners.”

On Saturday, Labour’s biggest union backer joined calls for a U-turn on the winter fuel payments cut.

A motion to be submitted to Labour‘s conference by Unite says “workers and communities… voted for a better future, not just better management”.

How will Unite’s rebellion on winter fuel affect Starmer?

Rob Powell

Political correspondent

@robpowellnews

Labour’s first conference as a party of government in more than a decade was always going to be a carefully calibrated affair.

Too much celebration and jubilation a likely no-no, given the sombre picture Sir Keir Starmer has been painting since moving into Downing Street.

But the party probably hoped to avoid a full-on union showdown.

And yet, that looks to be on the horizon.

The motion being submitted by Unite is scathing – lashing out at the decision to cut winter fuel payments and squaring up to the current gloomy tone being adopted by the government.

Last week’s Commons vote saw just a limited rebellion among MPs.

If this motion makes it to the conference floor, members may not be so loyal to their leader.

That’s not to say any of this should – or will – bother Downing Street.

With a huge majority in parliament, Sir Keir Starmer can afford to rile a few allies now.

Providing he can get them back on side before 2029.

The union’s motion calls the cuts “cruel” and goes on to say: “We need a vision where pensioners are not the first to face a new wave of cuts.”