Keir Starmer has won his first major political test as prime minister after seeing off a major rebellion over his government’s plans to cut winter fuel payments to 10 million pensioners.
On a day when the prime minister defended making tough decisions and rejecting the “snake oil of easy answers’’ in his speech to the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton, he stared down a threat of mutiny from his own backbenchers.
Despite criticism of his “austerity” policies at the TUC, Sir Keir said he made no apologies for doing what was needed to fix the country.
Just one Labour MP voted against the cut although another 53 abstained. However, only 12 of those did not have permission to be away from parliament on other business.
The prime minister had pinned his own authority to the debate on cutting winter fuel payments, as opposition parties attempt to capitalise on the difficult choices he repeatedly says he needs to make to fill the £22bn black hole in Britain’s finances.
It came on a day when his government was also under pressure for authorising the early release of 1,700 prisoners because he claimed the Tories had left prisons dangerously full. There were concerns that violent offenders were being allowed out early.
But, despite 18 Labour MPs signing an early-day motion opposing the means-testing of winter fuel payments, the prime minister stared down his backbenchers over the controversial move, staving off a wider revolt.
In the end, only veteran left-winger and Jeremy Corbyn ally Jon Trickett voted against Labour on the measure, with the MP expected to be disciplined by the whips.
In the vote on the measure forced by the Conservatives, 228 MPs voted against the government while 348 backed the change. It will see the payment, worth up to £300, stripped from around 10 million people.
The move had faced fierce opposition from across the Labour Party, but after Sir Keir suspended seven left-wingers for rebelling on a previous vote on the two-child benefit cap, Labour MPs were reluctant to rebel.
Addressing his decision to vote against the government, Mr Trickett said he had worked behind the scenes to urge a change in course, but it was “to no avail”.
“I could not in good conscience vote to make my constituents poorer. I will sleep well knowing that I voted to defend my constituents,” he added.
He said the change could prove “a matter of life or death” and would force “many more pensioners into poverty this winter”. It is not yet known whether Mr Trickett will have the Labour whip suspended.
Among the 53 Labour MPs who abstained were senior figures such as Diane Abbott.
Also voting against the government were five of the seven ex-Labour MPs suspended in July over their opposition to the two-child benefit cap: Richard Burgon, Apsana Begum, Ian Byrne, John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the move to means-test winter fuel payments was essential after the Conservatives left such a gaping hole in the public finances. The move is expected to save the Treasury £1.5bn this year.
But Lib Dem work and pensions spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain said the vote will leave millions of pensioners worrying about how they will get through the winter.
“The damage left by the Conservatives to our economy is unforgivable but cutting payments to vulnerable pensioners is no way to bring about the change the country deserves,” she said.
Green MP Sian Berry said the “reckless” plan “amounts to an unjustified and cruel assault on pensioners’ finances, mental and physical health”.
She added: “Whilst the lack of more substantial opposition from Labour MPs is a disappointing signal that most will answer only to the Labour whips – and not to their constituents or their conscience.”
Age UK, which had campaigned fervently against the change, said it was “deeply disappointed, but not surprised” by the vote.
“Age UK’s critique of their policy is really simple: we just don’t think it’s fair to remove the payment from the 2.5 million pensioners on low incomes who badly need it, and to do it so quickly this winter, at the same time as energy bills are rising by 10 per cent,” director Caroline Abrahams said.
Tory chairman Richard Fuller also condemned the move, claiming Labour cut the payment “in order to pay for inflation-busting pay rises for their trade union paymasters”.
“The country should not forget that Labour made a political choice to make this callous decision that will hurt pensioners just as their energy bills are set to increase this winter,” he added.
The Conservative Party had proposed means-testing the payment in its 2017 manifesto, a plan which Labour said at the time could kill 4,000 people.