Prime Minister refuses to rule out axing bus passes after £300 Winter Fuel Payment cut

Having recently withdrawn the winter fuel allowance from most pensioners in England and Wales in an effort to recoup funds to fill the £22bn black hole the Chancellor says was left by the previous Conservative government, Labour have refused to confirm that they will maintain the free bus pass scheme for older people.

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Asked by Louie French MP about other potential benefits cuts at the latest edition of Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer did not categorically rule anything out, replying: "As he knows very well, I am not going to pre-empt the Budget. It will all be set out in due course."

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The Prime Minister, who reiterated that Winter Fuel Payments will still be made to pensioners who receive Pension Credit and other benefits, also told state pensioners that they will be £1,000 better off over the next five years due to the triple lock guarantee.

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In a letter to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, calling on her to end the speculation, shadow transport secretary Helen Whately MP said: "Pensioners across the country remain hugely worried about how they will cope with the Government's recent cut to the winter fuel allowance.

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 "If scrapping their bus passes is not in your plans, then to allow this speculation to continue is immensely cruel. If however it is, then I implore you to reconsider. The vast majority of pensioners are not living the life of luxury you appear to think they are. These cuts will heap further pain on top of losing a fuel allowance so many of them rely on. 

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"It's not just the financial impact of these bus passes. For many older people they represent their last remaining ticket to independence, to amenities and to their communities. Please will you confirm to me and to them as soon as possible that these bus passes won't be scrapped."