Kay Burley put a minister in the hot seat today by asking him if voting to reduce how many pensioners are entitled to winter fuel allowances makes him feel “queasy”.
Labour chose to scrap the payment of up to £300 a year for around 10 million OAPs, restricting the money to those who qualify for pension credit, shortly after getting into power.
But the Daily Mail just reported that work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall claims up to £350 a month in energy bills on her second home.
So on Sky News, Burley reminded housing minister Alex Norris how he – and Kendall – voted to change the threshold for pensioners’ winter fuel payments earlier this year.
Trying to justify his colleague’s expenses, Norris replied: “Well, Kay, I don’t know if you’ve worked away from home before but like members of parliament – ”
“I’ve never asked the government to pay for my energy bills, and I’ve certainly never taken £300 off pensioners,” Burley cut in.
He replied: “No, but your employer would meet the costs of living and staying away from home if you needed to.”
“My employer doesn’t get their money off taxable people,” Burley said.
Norris insisted that anyone working away from home would expect it be met by their employers.
Burley said: “She doesn’t have to take the money! She’s very wealthy – certainly her family are very wealthy in their own right.”
Kendall lives in a £4m Notting Hill property, according to the Daily Mail, but has a second property which she rents in her Leicester West constituency.
The minister said he could not speak to his colleague’s personal situation, but he personally pays his energy bills at home and when he works away from home, his employer pays.
“Does it make you feel a little bit queasy though, that pensioners are not getting that money?” Burley said.
“No, we’ve been very clear,” Burley replied. “Those pensioners who need it can access pension credit.
“I know a lot of my constituents have been applying for it and doing so. Those who perhaps fall over the cliff edge can access the hardship and support fund.
“We were left a huge hole in the public finances, we weren’t expecting to do this at the outset, but it was the right decision taken.”
Burley said: “Your very own figures suggest 100,000 pensioners might be forced into poverty because of this.”
The minister said, again, that people should simply apply for pension credit.
This frosty exchange followed a baseless social media theory – which went viral in September– which claimed every MP gets all of their energy bills paid for.
Actually, only MPs with constituencies out of London are eligible, and they can only claim on one of the properties they use.