BBC Presenter Shows Ed Miliband All The Times Ministers Defended The Winter Fuel Cut
Ed Miliband was shown all the times Labour ministers backed the cuts to winter fuel payments just a day after Rachel Reeves performed a humiliating U-turn on the policy.
The chancellor was among those senior frontbenchers who went on BBC Breakfast last year to defend the controversial decision.
On the programme this morning, energy secretary Miliband repeatedly refused to apologise to pensioners who missed out on the payment last year after Reeves took it off 10 million of them.
She confirmed yesterday that 9 million more will get the money this winter after the income threshold to qualify for it was raised to £35,000.
Presenter John Kay said: 'Millions of pensioners had a really anxious winter. They told us every morning in our inbox that they couldn't afford to put the heating on. Some told us that their health and their wellbeing was affected by losing the winter fuel payment. Will you now apologise for this mistake?'
Dodging the question, Miliband replied: 'The chancellor took a decision last year when we came into office that she needed to stabilise the nation's finances, and the principal that we should pay the winter fuel payment to all pensioners wasn't correct. That's why she made the decision she did.
'Two things have happened since then: we've stabilised the nation's finances and we've heard that strength of feeling that you talk about and that's why she made the change she did. I think it's the right thing.'
But Kay told him: 'Our viewers like it when politicians own mistakes and admit to mistakes, and they like it when politicians say sorry. Why won't the chancellor, why won't you this morning, just apologise – dead simple.'
Miliband said: 'The chancellor is not going to apologise for a series of measures she took to stabilise the nation's finances when we came into office.'
Kay hit back: 'Time and time again, you all told us it was not going to change. Let's just play a sample of clips we've got of various cabinet ministers telling us that there was going to be no alteration to this policy.'
On July 30 last year, Reeves told the programme: 'The decisions I made on winter fuel payment are not decisions I wanted to make, they are not decisions I expected to make. But when confronted by a £22bn black hole, I had to act.'
On September 5, deputy PM Angela Rayner said: 'We know this is a difficult choice, and we was left with very difficult circumstances because of the previous government and what they did.'
Health secretary Wes Streeting said on September 12: 'We are not prepared to duck the difficult decisions and leave everyone paying a heavier price down the line. That was the Conservative way, it's not the Labour way.'
And on July 31, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said: 'This isn't a change we wanted to make, this isn't a change we expected to make, we did it with a heavy heart. But we do think it is the right decision.'
Bizarrely, Miliband then insisted the clips were 'absolutely consistent with that the chancellor announced yesterday'.
An incredulous Kay replied: 'What, you're saying this is not a U-turn?'
Miliband said: 'No, it obviously is a change on the threshold, but what I'm saying to you is these are decisions she sad she didn't want to make, and now she's got the room for manoeuvre to raise the threshold while sticking to the overall principal.'
'Time and time again you all told us it was not going to change?'On #BBCBreakfast Energy Secretary Ed Miliband was asked about the government's repeated defence of the decision to cut winter fuel allowance for most pensioners - before announcing a u-turn… pic.twitter.com/m4gDX84PZn
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) June 10, 2025
Analysis: Rachel Reeves Has Been Left Humiliated By Winter Fuel U-Turn
Revealed: Which Pensioners Will Get Winter Fuel Payments Again After Labour U-Turn
Rachel Reeves Confirms More Pensioners Will Get Their Winter Fuel Payments This Year
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