OPINION

       Sir Keir Starmer needs to win back older voters (Image: Getty)

       Sir Keir Starmer is desperate to appease pensioners who are furious his Government scrapped universal entitlement to winter fuel payments. The radical curtailment of the benefit will go down in political history as one of the most damaging decisions by a new Government.

       In an instant, Labour torched trust and goodwill and made enemies among the most powerful block of voters in the country. The July 29 announcement – made just weeks after the party ended 14 years in Opposition – sickened voters who felt betrayed. Why wasn’t the possibility of the huge blow to pensioners’ incomes in the manifesto?

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       Sir Keir is now scrambling to repair this burnt-down bridge. The drubbing the party received in the elections this month – most strikingly in the by-election loss of the once safe seat of Runcorn and Helsby – demonstrates the danger the Government faces if this huge group of voters is still incensed the next time they get to go to the polls.

       If retirees who have voted Labour all their working lives abandon the party then Sir Keir faces a crisis – particularly in Red Wall seats. The Conservatives and Reform UK will do everything they can to get them to switch.

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       There is a big fear in Westminster that while a sense of social stigma meant many older voters in traditional Labour heartlands cannot bring themselves to vote Tory they will be much less reluctant to put an X next to Nigel Farage’s party.

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       The Prime Minister has not committed to a full restoration of the benefit and it is unclear when he will announce the decision. But there is not a moment to lose.

       Pensioners have the power to decide the next election and every party with ambitions to lead the government will be vying for their vote. Why do they have so much clout? It’s simple – they vote.

       At the last election more than seven out of 10 citizens aged 65-plus voted, according to an Ipsos analysis. How many 18-24s took part? Fewer than four out of 10.

       Pensioners are not just angry about losing their winter fuel support. Farmers tell hair-raising stories about the depth of worry about inheritance tax hikes on agricultural assets.

       Other pensioners are dismayed that the freeze in personal tax allowances means their retirement income is now being taxed.

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       It is not enough for Labour to boast about its commitment to the triple lock when the Treasury is siphoning money away from a section of society that can do little to boost their household income.

       Pensioners will welcome Sir Keir's signal that a partial u-turn on winter fuel is on the way. But even a full restoration may not be enough to repair the damage.

       That could require an apology. Sir Keir’s Government must show it has learned a lesson it will not forget.

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