Cabinet not split over winter fuel payments, Downing Street insists

Sir Keir Starmer’s Cabinet has agreed to his plan to cut winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners ahead of a crunch vote in the House of Commons tomorrow.

Senior ministers discussed the policy at a meeting of the Cabinet in No 10 this morning. Asked if any ministers had spoken against the move, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “Cabinet were in agreement on the importance of fixing the economy and that being the foundation of everything that we do.”

Asked if there had been any discussion on softening the impact of the policy, the spokesperson said: “No.”

It comes after Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, suggested that ministers were looking at how to mitigate the impact but Government sources were quick to say she had misspoke.

Sir Keir is facing a backlash over the policy, with Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite the union, having accused the PM of “picking the pocket of pensioners”.

MPs will vote tomorrow on the decision to make the payments means-tested instead of universal and while Sir Keir will have the numbers to get his policy through he is facing the prospect of a rebellion by some Labour MPs.

You can follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section. 

03:55 PM BST

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Thank you for joining me for today's politics live blog.

I will be back tomorrow morning.

03:33 PM BST

Farage highlights Starmer’s past concerns on household winter pressures

Nigel Farage has applied pressure to Sir Keir Starmer over the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners by highlighting the Prime Minister’s past concerns about the winter squeeze.

Sir Keir tweeted two years ago in August 2022 and said “looking ahead to winter is frightening”.

The Labour leader said he had “met pensioners who have no idea how they’ll heat their homes”.

Mr Farage asked today: “What changed [Keir Starmer]?”

03:17 PM BST

Mick Lynch likens Chancellor to The Grinch over winter fuel cut

A union boss has likened Rachel Reeves to The Grinch who stole Christmas as he lashed out at Labour’s winter fuel raid, writes Amy Gibbons in Brighton. 

Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT rail union, warned the Chancellor she must correct the “historical mistake” or risk getting off on the "wrong foot" with her first Budget.

The decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners has sparked a furious backlash from across the political spectrum, with up to 40 Labour MPs prepared to abstain on a crunch vote on the cut tomorrow.

The Prime Minister vowed on Sunday that he would plough on with the change, saying the Government was prepared to take “unpopular decisions” for the good of the economy.

But speaking at an event on the fringes of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference today, Mr Lynch warned Ms Reeves she risked being perceived as The Grinch if she pressed on with the plan.

“The call has got to be on Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer, because that's where I think it's centred… to correct this mistake," he said.

“Why do you want to get off on the wrong foot in the first Budget by appearing to be The Grinch at Christmas?”

03:07 PM BST

Telegraph readers deliver their verdict on Starmer’s winter fuel payment plan

Tomorrow's vote on the Government's decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners is the main topic of discussion in Westminster today.

As of this afternoon it looks like Downing Street isn't going to back down and no mitigation is going to be brought forward.

Telegraph readers have been delivering their verdict on the situation in the comments section of today's live blog:

02:51 PM BST

Early release of prisoners needed to avoid ‘unchecked criminality’, says No 10

Hundreds of prisoners must be released early to avoid “unchecked criminality” where the police and courts are unable to lock anyone up, Downing Street said.

Around 1,700 inmates are expected to be let out tomorrow in an attempt to ease overcrowding in prisons.

Downing Street acknowledged it was “incredibly difficult” for victims to know that the offenders were being released before completing their sentence.

On Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said he had been forced into the position because the Tory government had not built enough prison capacity.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “As the Prime Minister said this weekend, no prime minister should be in a position where there are not enough prison places.

“That is why we took the immediate decision that we did. And without doing so, prisons would have completely run out of places, and we faced unchecked criminality on our streets with police unable to make arrests.”

02:40 PM BST

HMRC sacks 179 civil servants for gross misconduct

Dismissals for gross misconduct at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are at a five-year-high, data reveals.

So far this year, 179 tax office workers have been sacked for serious breaches of workplace conduct, an increase of 43 per cent since 2020.

This is the highest number in at least five years, according to figures obtained by The Telegraph in a freedom of information request.

You can read the full story here. 

02:06 PM BST

No return to austerity, insists No 10

Sir Keir Starmer is not pursuing a path of austerity, Downing Street has insisted.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear there is no return to austerity.

“This is a tough and difficult decision which he acknowledges is an unpopular decision but it is the right one to ensure that we respond to a £22 billion black hole in the economy and we restore our public finances.”

01:52 PM BST

‘It is not a decision that he wanted to make’

Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer did not want to cut winter fuel payments after being asked about Sharon Graham’s claim that he was “picking the pocket of pensioners” (see the post below at 07.54).

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has been asked about this policy directly. He is very clear that it is not a decision that he wanted to make or that the Government wants to make.

“But we have to fix the foundations of our economy and that means tough choices and one of those tough choices is making sure that we are targeting our support to those who need it most.”

01:32 PM BST

Cabinet backs Starmer’s winter fuel cut ahead of crunch vote

Cabinet has backed Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners ahead of a crunch vote in the House of Commons tomorrow.

Senior ministers discussed the policy at a meeting of the Cabinet in No 10 this morning.

Asked if any ministers had spoken against the move, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “Cabinet were in agreement on the importance of fixing the economy and that being the foundation of everything that we do.”

Asked if there had been any discussion on softening the impact of the policy, the spokesperson said: “No.”

01:30 PM BST

Downing Street: ‘No plans’ to soften impact of winter fuel payment cut

Downing Street said it has “no plans” to soften the impact of the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.

Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, suggested this morning that ministers were looking at how the impact could be mitigated but Government sources were quick to say she had misspoke.

No 10 confirmed at lunchtime that no mitigation was in the works and that the policy will be going ahead as planned.

01:00 PM BST

Damning Labour report claims winter fuel raid could kill nearly 4,000 pensioners

Almost 4,000 pensioners could die if Labour scraps winter fuel payments, according to the party’s own research.

A damning report published in 2017, when Keir Starmer was in the shadow cabinet, claimed that restricting the allowance to pensioners on benefits would cost thousands of lives.

You can read the full story here. 

12:47 PM BST

Pictured: Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood loses a shoe outside No 10

12:27 PM BST

Lammy welcomes Sir David Attenborough to Foreign Office for climate talks

12:16 PM BST

Starmer warned by unions not to renege on workers’ rights promises

Unions have vowed to convene a "special congress" if Labour fails to enact its New Deal for Working People "in full" within its first 100 days in office, writes Amy Gibbons in Brighton. 

The plan was agreed as part of a motion to scrap all "anti-union" laws at the federation's annual conference this morning.

Martin Cavanagh, the president of the PCS, said the unions must take on the new Government "in the same way that we challenged the Tories" if Sir Keir Starmer reneges on his pledges.

"Let's be clear today that if Starmer's Government has not legislated and implemented the New Deal for Working People in full within [its] first 100 days, we call on TUC to convene a special TUC congress so we can collectively discuss our response to that abhorrent act. And it would be an abhorrent act," he said.

"We have to hold this Government to account in the same way that we've held every government to account over the years, comrades. This is such an important time, such a big opportunity. Please support this composite.

"But let's be clear, if Labour renege on their commitment to implement the new deal for workers in full, we will challenge them in the same way that we challenged the Tories."

12:11 PM BST

Unions demand Labour repeal all Thatcher era anti-strike laws

Unions have passed a motion at the TUC conference urging the Government to repeal all of Margaret Thatcher’s anti-strike laws, writes Amy Gibbons in Brighton. 

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to get rid of Tory legislation, enacted since 2010, that forces vital organisations such as rail and fire services to provide a minimum level of service when on strike.

But the TUC has now urged him to go further, demanding the removal of all "anti-union laws" from the statute book.

This would include the 1980s laws that banned flying pickets and closed shops, and also brought in secret ballots before industrial action and restricted collective bargaining.

Speaking in favour of the motion today, Steve Wright, from the Fire Brigades Union, said: "Labour's promised to repeal the [Minimum Service Levels] Act and the 2016 Trade Union Act. That is welcomed by everyone within this room, reversing the relentless attacks that we have faced.

"But our fight must go beyond that, Congress. Our demands must go beyond Labour's manifesto. We must demand the repeal of all anti-union laws, and importantly, that they are replaced with positive legal rights for workers from day one."

12:09 PM BST

Trade unions will ‘never be content’, says Aslef general secretary

Trade unions will “never be content”, the boss of the train drivers union has said just weeks after striking a bumper pay deal with the new Government.

Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, suggested there would be nothing Labour could do to appease the movement completely, despite ministers’ claims that relations are entering a “new era”.

It is likely to exacerbate fears that the Government’s inflation-busting pay deals for train drivers and junior doctors will lead to more demands from public-sector workers, rather than an end to crippling strikes.

You can read the full story here. 

11:44 AM BST

Abbott takes veiled shot at Starmer over cuts

Diane Abbott said “tough choices” is just a “euphemism for cuts” in an apparent jab at Sir Keir Starmer.

The senior Labour MP made the comment as she posted a link to a piece written by Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite the union, for The Guardian which warned against a return to austerity.

Sir Keir has said repeatedly that he is having to take “tough” decisions on spending because of the state of the public finances.

Ms Abbott tweeted: “‘Tough choices’ are only tough on those who can cope least. They are just a euphemism for cuts.”

11:35 AM BST

Pictured: Ministers arrive in Downing Street to attend weekly Cabinet meeting

11:28 AM BST

TUC boss warns ‘anti-union’ companies ‘our movement is coming for you’

Paul Nowak issued a warning to "anti-union" companies as he said the union movement is "coming for you".

The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress told delegates in Brighton: "Today I want to put Amazon and every other anti-union, anti-worker boss on notice.

"If you think you can get away with paying poverty wages, if you think it is acceptable to force people into work when they are sick, if you want to fire and rehire your staff so you cna put a few bob on the share price, think again.

"Our movement is coming for you, our movement is going to take on the bad bosses and we are going to win."

11:20 AM BST

Union chief attacks Nigel Farage

Paul Nowak claimed Nigel Farage was not a "friend of the working class" as he addressed the Trades Union Congress annual conference in Brighton this morning.

The TUC general secretary said: "I don't believe for one moment that most of those who voted Reform at the last election are racist but let me say this clearly and unequivocally, Nigel Farage isn't a friend of the working class, he is a fraud."

11:14 AM BST

Starmer does have ‘interests of working people at heart’, says TUC chief

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said the unions "won't always agree with the new Government on every issue".

But addressing the TUC's annual conference in Brighton this morning, Mr Nowak said he believed Sir Keir Starmer's administration does have the "interests of working people at heart in a way that the Conservatives never did and never will".

11:09 AM BST

Michelle Donelan endorses Kemi Badenoch

Michelle Donelan, the Tory former science secretary, has endorsed Kemi Badenoch to replace Rishi Sunak.

Ms Donelan, who lost her seat at the general election, said the Conservative Party needed to elect someone who "truly offers choice" to voters and she believed there is a "buzz around Kemi right now".

Writing on the Conservative Home website, Ms Donelan said: "For the sake of our party and our country, we must inject real choice back into our elections, and she is the leader to do it."

10:49 AM BST

Analysis: MPs brace for biggest political day since general election

Tomorrow is shaping up to be the biggest day in the political calendar since the general election at the start of July.

MPs will vote on the Government's decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners while Tory MPs will also vote in the second round of the Conservative Party's leadership contest.

The former will be a key moment for Sir Keir Starmer because it will show how firm his grip is on the parliamentary Labour party. Will any Labour MPs vote against the Government? And if they do, will they be stripped of the whip?

No 10's handling of the vote and the aftermath will be closely watched, especially ahead of the Budget on Oct 30 which is expected to contain further tough choices on public spending which many Labour MPs are likely to find unpalatable.

Meanwhile, the Tory leadership vote will see a second candidate eliminated and a final four selected who will go on to make their case to members at the Conservative Party's annual conference at the end of this month.

The first round of voting was incredibly tight and no candidate can be absolutely certain of making progress, setting up what should be a nail-biting afternoon.

10:23 AM BST

Welsh Tory leader urges MPs to ‘show some backbone’ and vote against winter fuel cut

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has challenged all Welsh MPs to “show some backbone” and vote against scrapping winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners tomorrow.

Andrew RT Davies said making the payments means-tested “risks creating a fuel poverty crisis”.

He said: “This vote is an opportunity for Welsh MPs to show some backbone. The Labour Government’s unforgivable decision to scrap winter fuel payments risks creating a fuel poverty crisis among pensioners in Wales.

“Anyone with a conscience should vote against this measure and keep pensioners warm this winter.”

10:04 AM BST

Idris Elba: ‘We aren’t going to end knife crime’

Idris Elba told a knife crime summit in No 10 this morning that it was “not realistic” to think knife crime could be totally brought to an end.

The actor told the meeting with Sir Keir Starmer: “Talk is good, but action is important.”

He said: “We needed joined-up thinking, we needed so many different perspectives: parents’ perspectives, youth workers’ perspectives, charity organisations, governance, policing.

“We need all of these perspectives to sit around the table when you think about this. We aren’t going to end knife crime. We can’t, that’s not realistic.

“But we can tackle the attributes towards it. At the centre of it is obviously young people – my son’s 10, and I’m hoping the work that we do annually, keep pushing, (can) help him by the time he’s 16.

“There are kids right now that are 16-24, they’re in that cycle right now that we might not be able to help, but with our joined-up thinking we can help future generations.”

09:57 AM BST

‘No quick fix’ to tackling knife crime, says PM

Sir Keir Starmer suggested ministers will look at the punishments for those caught with knives.

The Prime Minister told a knife crime summit in Downing Street this morning: “We also need to deal with the sanctions for those that are found with knives.”

But he said there was also a need to “try to reach into the lives of young people who may be going off the tracks and trying to bring them back before they do so”.

He acknowledged “there is no quick fix” to the problems and urged the campaigners and experts around the table in No 10 to be “brutally frank” with their views.

09:54 AM BST

Starmer ‘doubles down’ on commitment to deal with knife crime

Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to make it harder to buy dangerous weapons online as he pledged to “double down” on efforts to tackle knife crime.

“Far too many knives are too easily available, whether that’s online, whether that’s through the post,” the Prime Minister said.

Speaking at a summit at No 10 this morning, attended by Luther star and knife crime campaigner Idris Elba, Sir Keir said: “Before the election, I made commitments to people around this table and others in relation to a determination to deal with knife crime. And it is a determination.”

He added: “Now I want to double down on that commitment. It wasn’t a commitment said before the election that’s then forgotten the other side of the election – I think many people are far too familiar with that kind of politics.”

09:44 AM BST

Pictured: Baroness Doreen Lawrence arrives at No 10 to attend PM’s knife crime summit

09:29 AM BST

1,700 prisoners set for early release tomorrow to tackle overcrowding

Around 1,700 prisoners will be released early tomorrow as part of the Government’s efforts to tackle prison overcrowding, a Home Office minister has said.

Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, told the BBC: “For those who will be released tomorrow, probation have been working very hard to make sure that there are plans in place.

“People are released on licence and can be recalled if they commit further offences. So There’s a whole range of things that are already in place to make sure tomorrow goes as well as we can expect, but clearly nobody wants to be doing this.”

Asked how many prisoners were due to be released on Tuesday, she said: “I understand it’s in the region of about 1,700.”

09:12 AM BST

Pictured: Actor Idris Elba arrives at No 10 to attend knife crime summit

08:49 AM BST

Minister ‘misspoke’ after suggesting winter fuel payment cut could be softened

A minister misspoke this morning when she suggested the Government was looking at options to reduce the impact of the decision to scrap the winter fuel payment for 10 million pensioners.

Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, suggested ministers were looking at mitigating measures but Government sources told The Telegraph that she had misspoke.

A number of possible options were set out to Dame Diana, like the possibility of restricting the winter fuel payments to households in council tax bands A to D.

She replied during an interview on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “And I am sure that across government all these measures are being looked at. And of course we have a Budget coming up in October as well. So I’m absolutely confident that this is being looked at.

“We all understand how difficult this is, it’s difficult for members of parliament, I know myself I’ve received lots of representations from constituents, lots of emails, people are very exercised by this and we need to make sure we do everything we can to mitigate what you’re describing.”

Asked if she was sure mitigating measures were being considered, she said: “I’m not party to those discussions, I’m not privy to that. So that’s a matter that you would have to raise with ministers who have that responsibility.”

08:42 AM BST

Union boss urges Reeves to bring forward Budget support for pensioners

The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress has raised concerns about the Government’s plans to cut the winter fuel allowance.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Paul Nowak said: “I’ve got real concerns about the cuts to winter fuel allowance because I don’t want any pensioner going into this winter worried about putting the heating on.

“That’s why I hope in the Budget the Chancellor will set out the support that she’ll make available to those pensioners who … aren’t well off by any means. To make sure that they’re not frightened to use the heating this winter.

“But I think it’s fair to say the Chancellor’s got a huge range of challenges. She’s been bequeathed a toxic economic legacy by the previous government. There’s lots of things that she needs to fix. The state of our public services, the fact that we’ve got a universal credit system that’s not fit for purpose.

“But as I say I hope in the Budget she’ll set out the support, not just for pensioners, but for those on low pay, those who are in receipt of things like sickness allowance. I think it’s really important that she looks at all of those things.”

08:30 AM BST

Pictured: Rayner arrives in Downing Street ahead of weekly Cabinet meeting

08:27 AM BST

Minister not surprised by winter fuel payment backlash

The policing minister said she was “not surprised” at the reaction to the Government’s decision to means-test winter fuel payments.

Dame Diana Johnson told the BBC: “I understand for many MPs this is a really hard decision. I myself have had lots of constituents contact me, so I know how difficult this is.”

Asked if she was surprised by the reaction, she said: “No, I’m not surprised by the amount of concern that there is about this, and obviously we do not want to see anyone struggling with energy bills, particularly pensioners.

“The winter fuel allowance, we know is not a targeted benefit at the moment but it’s going to be targeted and that’s why it’s so important that the poorest pensioners are getting everything they’re entitled to to support them.”

08:16 AM BST

Tory MP publicly declares support for Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick has picked up the public endorsement of another Tory MP this morning.

Bradley Thomas, the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, said he had chosen to back the former immigration minister because he is a "conviction politician whose principles are rooted in a common-sense conservatism".

08:13 AM BST

Labour going down the path of austerity, warns Sharon Graham

The Labour Government appears to be going down the path of austerity, a union leader warned this morning as she declared: “If it quacks like a duck and it looks like a duck, it is a duck.”

Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite the union, said Labour’s repeated warnings of “tough choices” ahead “says to me cuts”. But she said it was just “not possible” for people to go through another round of austerity.

She told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “The point here is when you are hearing words ‘tough choices’ that says to me cuts and this country cannot go through another round of austerity, it is not possible for people to go through another round of austerity.

“If it quacks like a duck and it looks like a duck, it is a duck. I feel that we are going down the wrong road. If they are going to put in cuts then I think people will be very, very, very concerned about that.”

08:00 AM BST

Impose wealth tax instead of putting pensioners through ‘pain’, Starmer told

Sharon Graham said the Labour Government should be introducing a wealth tax rather than putting pensioners through “pain” this winter.

The general secretary of Unite the union said the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners would not “touch the sides” of the Government’s spending black hole and Sir Keir Starmer should target the most wealthy in society to fix the public finances.

She told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “This is saving minutiae in terms of money. It is £1.2 billion in saving and at the same time you have got the 50 richest families in Britain worth £500 billion.

“Why has Labour made a choice to not tax the 1 per cent wealthiest which would get £25 billion back into the pot? Black hole gone, £3 billion left over.

“Why have they decided to put pensioners through pain to save £1.2 billion which quite frankly doesn’t touch the sides of this so-called black hole?

“It is wrongfooted, they should change their decision and he needs to be big enough and brave enough to say ‘look, I have made an error here’.”

07:54 AM BST

Union chief: Starmer ‘picking the pockets of pensioners’ and he must U-turn

Sir Keir Starmer is “picking the pocket of pensioners” and must U-turn on his decision to cut winter fuel payments, a union boss has said.

Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite the union, said the move to scrap the payments for 10 million pensioners was “completely wrong” and must be reversed.

Told that Sir Keir did not look like a man who was preparing to backtrack on the issue when he appeared in a broadcast interview yesterday, Ms Graham told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “No, he didn’t but he needs to do a U-turn. We need to make sure that he is making the right choices and leadership is about choices and he needs to be big enough and brave enough to do a U-turn on this choice.

“It is completely wrong. People do not understand how a Labour Government has decided to pick the pocket of pensioners and at the same time leave the richest in our society totally untouched.

“That is wrong and he needs to change course.”

07:41 AM BST

Poll: Starmer ‘wipes the floor’ with Tory leadership hopefuls on who would be best PM

Sir Keir Starmer “wipes the floor” with all five Tory leadership hopefuls on the question of who would be the best prime minister, according to a new Savanta poll.

James Cleverly, the former home secretary, received the highest score among the Tory contenders but even he was far behind Sir Keir.

The poll, conducted between Aug 30 and Sept 1, placed the five contenders in head-to-head contests against Sir Keir and asked voters who would make the best premier.

The results were as follows:

• Cleverly (23%), Starmer (47%), Don’t Know (30%)

• Tugendhat (22%), Starmer (47%), Don’t Know (31%)

• Jenrick (20%), Starmer (48%), Don’t Know (32%)

• Badenoch (20%), Starmer (49%), Don’t Know (32%)

• Stride (16%), Starmer (48%), Don’t Know (36%)

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said: “Even accounting for incumbent prime ministers having a natural advantage on this metric, this research shows that Starmer wipes the floor with all the prospective Conservative leaders on who the public thinks would make the best PM.

“Our research continues to suggest there isn’t an obvious Conservative leader who could win an election in the public’s eye - yet. It also serves as a reminder that despite a challenging few weeks for Labour, they’re only really at risk when the Conservatives get their act together. That certainly won’t happen until a new leader is in place, and isn’t a given even then.”

07:34 AM BST

SNP challenges Labour MPs to reject ‘political choice’ to cut winter fuel payments

Pensioners will face a “bitter winter” if a cut to fuel payments goes ahead, Labour MPs have been warned ahead of a crunch vote in the House of Commons tomorrow.

Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, has laid down a political challenge to Labour’s 37 Scottish MPs to vote against the cut.

Mr Flynn said in a letter to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar that Sir Keir Starmer had made a “political choice” to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners and urged Labour MPs to "do the right thing” and vote against the policy.

He wrote: