SO VINDICTIVE! LABOUR IS IN DENIAL OVER FUEL ROW

RACHEL Reeves is being "vindictive" if she frees up billions of pounds for investment but refuses to help struggling pensioners, campaigners say.

- Sam Lister

The Chancellor is planning to tweak rules to unlock £50billion, while sticking to plans taking up to £300 in fuel payments off 10 million over-65s.

The Silver Voices group said: "The money is clearly there. It's a question of the Chancellor not wanting to spend money on older people who are going to be cold this winter." The senior citizens campaigners have accused the Government of making a clear choice to target pensioners.

Ms Reeves is axing the universal winter fuel allowance, which is £200 for pensioners under 80 and £300 for those over, in a bid to save £1.5billion.

Instead, only older people claiming pension credit and some other benefits will be eligible.

It means the 11.4 million people currently in receipt will drop to just 1.5 million.

Silver Voices director Dennis Reed said: "There is a certain amount of flexibility in the Budget. If she doesn't reverse the cuts all we can conclude from that really is this is vindictiveness.

"She has said on many occasions, 'We do not want to do this'. It will be very clear that if she does not reverse it... it will be very clear that she did want to do this and so did the Prime Minister, and they will be judged on that basis."