BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt slammed the government for not producing an impact assessment on its cuts to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.
Labour’s plan to restrict the allowance to those on pension credit was voted through in the Commons on Tuesday, despite intense cross-party criticism.
The government says the move is necessary because of the ”£22bn black hole” in the public finances, left behind by the Tories.
But worries remain over what this will actually mean for the 10 million pensioners who will not receive this payment, which is worth up to £300, this winter.
Embarrassingly for Labour, an assessment the party did in 2017 of a winter fuel cut predicted nearly 4,000 old people could die.
But according to health secretary Wes Streeting this morning, the government did not produce an impact assessment before chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the policy in July.
Stayt asked Streeting: “The winter fuel allowance – you have done a report, as I understand it, sitting on your desk looking at the assessment in terms of the potential health impact of the changes your government has brought in.
“Why can the public, and the media, not see that report?”
The cabinet minister said: “There’s no such report and there’s no such report on my desk.”
The presenter said: “Can I check that, so you’ve brought in this policy which is removing the winter fuel allowance from many many people – I know some will keep it but many will not – you will not do an assessment to see whether that could impact harmfully on people’s health?”
Streeting said the chancellor Rachel Reeves would publish the impact of all her fiscal decisions at the Budget, due next month.
“I’m asking about the health impacts,” Stayt pushed – but Streeting deflected by pointing out Labour have kept the pensions triple lock.
That policy means the state pension increases every year in line with inflation, earnings growth, or 2.5%, whichever is the largest.
Labour say this will trigger a projected £460 increase in the state pension next year, which will offset the winter fuel payments.
But Stayt refused to be distracted. He said: “It is the case then, that you didn’t do any kind of health assessment about the potential health risk of your decision to change the winter fuel allowance.”
“Pensioners will still be better off this winter after we have made these changes to the winter fuel allowances,” Streeting insisted.
The presenter hit back: “With the greatest respect, there was no review. You didn’t do a health review impact into that decision. That did not happen.”
“Because pensioners will still be better off this winter even after the changes to the winter fuel allowance,” Streeting repeated.
Leader of the Opposition Rishi Sunak also pressed PM Keir Starmer to publish the impact assessment during PMQs on Wednesday.
The PM’s spokesperson refused to say if there was an impact assessment at all when asked by reporters.