Sir Keir Starmer defends winter fuel cut as he warns of ‘hard’ path ahead

Published

12 months ago

September 24, 2024

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Sir Keir Starmer has defended removing the winter fuel allowance from millions of pensioners as he warned of a “hard” path ahead.

The prime minister, giving his keynote speech at Labour’s conference, was attempting to turn around the doom and gloom of the past few months as he said his government would change the country, but warned it will take time.

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Towards the end of his speech, Sir Keir was interrupted by protester Daniel Riley, 18, who stood up and shouted: “Children of Gaza”.

The prime minister took it in his stride as he resumed his speech to applause and said: “This guy’s obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference [when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader]. We’ve changed the party – while he’s been protesting, we’ve been changing the party, that’s why we’ve got a Labour government.”

During his speech, he addressed concern about cutting the winter fuel allowance, admitting some have lost faith in his party due to the policy.

Sir Keir promised to get the welfare bill down, rebuild public services, protect public services “in a Labour way” – and “no return to Tory austerity”.

“If you can’t take that on faith, perhaps because you’re concerned about the winter fuel allowance, then I get that,” he told the conference in Liverpool.

“As I say, if this path were popular or easy we would have walked it already.

“But the risk of showing to the world – as the Tories did – that this country does not fund its policies properly; that is a risk we can never take again.

“Stabilising our economy is the first step of this long-term plan.

“The only way we keep prices low, cut NHS waiting lists, and secure the triple lock so that every pensioner in this country – every pensioner – will be better off with Labour.”

He added Labour is stabilising the economy and fixing the foundations to “build, with pride and determination, a Britain that belongs to you”.

“But it will be hard,” he said.

“That’s not rhetoric – it’s reality.”

He failed to mention the triple lock – which means the state pension goes up each year by whichever is higher of 2.5%, inflation or earnings growth – was introduced by the coalition government in 2011.

Sir Keir used the fact he was in Liverpool to announce the Hillsborough Law – legislation to force public bodies to co-operate with investigations into major disasters – will be introduced to parliament before the next anniversary of the disaster in April.

A terrace crush at an FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield on 15 April 1989 resulted in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans.

Homes for Heroes

Sir Keir also used his speech to announce all veterans will be given housing by the government.

“Because there is another injustice hiding in plain sight on our streets, in every town and city in this country,” he said.

“People who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, who put their lives on the line to protect us all, but who will not have a safe place to sleep tonight.

“We cannot stand by and let this happen anymore, and so today I can announce that this government will respect that service, we will repay those who served us and house all veterans in housing need.

“Homes will be there for heroes.”

He also confirmed Labour’s publicly owned energy company, GB Energy, will be based in Aberdeen. There had been rumours it would be there but this was the first time it has been confirmed.

Middle East

Sir Keir also addressed the escalating situation in the Middle East as he called for “restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel”.

“I call again – for all parties to step back from the brink,” he said.

“I call again – for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the hostages and a recommitment to the two-state solution: recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”

The prime minister stumbled over his words as he accidentally said “the return of the sausages” and quickly corrected himself to say “the return of the hostages”.

Glitter on a shirt cuff

Not one to miss a chance to criticise his Tory predecessors, he said he would not pay attention to those who attack him as he referenced when a heckler threw glitter on him at last year’s conference.

“You know me by now, so you know all those shouts and bellows, the bad faith advice from people who still hanker for the politics of noisy performance, the weak and cowardly fantasy of populism – it’s water off a duck’s back.

“Mere glitter on a shirt cuff.

“It’s never distracted me before, and it won’t distract me now. This is a long-term project.

“The patient, calm, determined era of politics as service has begun.”

Politics

Kemi Badenoch accuses Sir Keir Starmer of ‘lying’ about Peter Mandelson prior to sacking him

Published

4 hours ago

September 13, 2025

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Kemi Badenoch accuses Sir Keir Starmer of 'lying' about Peter Mandelson prior to sacking him

Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “lying to the whole country” about what he knew regarding Peter Mandelson’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein.

Lord Mandelson was this week stripped of his position as ambassador to the US amid fresh scrutiny over his years-long friendship with the convicted paedophile.

The prime minister initially defended the Labour peer but removed him from his post on Thursday after newly seen emails revealed he sent messages of support to Epstein even as he faced jail for sex offences in 2008.

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The Times has now reported that Downing Street and the Foreign Office were aware of the emails on Tuesday – a day before Sir Keir gave Lord Mandelson his backing at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).

In a post on X, Conservative leader Ms Badenoch wrote: “Looks like the Prime Minister and Labour MPs spent the week lying to the whole country about what they knew regarding Mandelson’s involvement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.”

She continued: “If No 10 had those emails for 48 hours before acting, it means he lied at PMQs and ministers lied again about new additional information. These are yet more errors of judgment.

“The Prime Minister has very serious questions to answer. The only way to clear this up is full transparency about who knew what, and when.”

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Sources said Sir Keir was not aware of the contents of the emails when he told MPs he had “confidence” in Lord Mandelson.

A media enquiry outlining details of the messages between Lord Mandelson and Epstein was sent to the Foreign Office on Tuesday, and passed on to Number 10.

Sir Oliver Robbins, the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, asked Lord Mandelson about the emails on Tuesday, but did not receive a response until the following day.

Sir Keir is understood not to have been aware of the contents of the emails until Wednesday evening.

Speaking to Sky News, one Labour MP has called for more information on what happened behind closed doors at No 10 this week.

Jo White, MP for Bassetlaw, in Nottinghamshire, said: “We cannot move on until we find out how he [Sir Keir] was not briefed properly before PMQs.”

“What he needs to do now is get on top and sort out this mess,” she said. “Suspend the whip from Peter Mandelson and expel him from the party, then have a transparent enquiry about what went wrong at No.10.”

This came as Sir Keir enjoyed some time away from Downing Street.

The prime minister was on Saturday pictured watching Arsenal face Nottingham Forest in a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium.

Lord Mandelson’s exit came after less than a fortnight after another high-profile loss for the Labour government, as Angela Rayner was forced to quit as deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader over her tax affairs.

As Sir Keir has faced a scandal-hit start to the month, a growing number of Labour MPs have begun calling his leadership into question.

Lucy Powell, who is running to replace Ms Rayner as Labour’s deputy leader, has called for a “change of culture” at Downing Street.

“We’ve got a bit of a groupthink happening at the top, that culture of not being receptive to interrogation, not being receptive to differing views,” she told The Guardian newspaper.

Meanwhile, senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry has written to the new foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, demanding answers about the vetting process for UK diplomats in the wake of Lord Mandelson’s sacking.

Politics

Man admits arson after major fire at MP Sharon Hodgson’s constituency office

Published

10 hours ago

September 13, 2025

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Man admits arson after major fire at MP Sharon Hodgson's constituency office

A man has admitted arson after a major fire at an MP’s constituency office.

Joshua Oliver, 28, pleaded guilty to starting the fire which destroyed the office of Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, at Vermont House in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

The fire also wrecked a small charity for people with very rare genetic diseases and an NHS mental health service for veterans.

The guilty plea was entered at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on the basis that it was reckless rather than intentional.

The Crown did not accept that basis of plea.

Oliver, of no fixed address, had been living in a tent nearby, the court heard.

Northumbria Police previously said it was “alerted to a fire at a premises on Woodland Terrace in the Washington area” shortly after 12.20am on Thursday.

“Emergency services attended and no one is reported to have been injured in the incident,” it added.

Drone footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the building.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We have worked closely with Northumbria Police as they carried out their investigation.”

Oliver was remanded in custody and will appear at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, 14 October.