Labour’s latest insult to pensioners shows Starmer knows the election is lost | Personal finances | Finance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set the tone for Labour’s approach to older people by removing the Winter fuel paymentleaving two million vulnerable pensioners facing a cold winter.

Moments later, he launched a second attack by removing the proposed £86,000 cap on social care costs.

While not perfect, the cap placed some limit on contributions to care. Without it, thousands of people face selling their homes to cover the costs of residential or nursing care.

Labour’s third major betrayal of pensioners was telling the Waspi women to leave.

Before the elections, Keir Starmer had made a strong appeal for the votes of the women of the 1950s trapped by the rapid state pension age increase, pledging to support his campaign for “fair and swift compensation.”

Once the victory was achieved, the promise was abandoned, leaving the activists in the cold.

In a new blow, Reeves imposed an inheritance tax on unspent pensions in his budget. This comes into effect from 2027.

It seems as if the Labor Party is punishing boomer pensioners, possibly because they are the age group least likely to vote for them.

Now Starmer has dealt pensioners another slap in the face.

This morning, the Labor Party announced a review of social care in England, aiming to create a “national consensus” for a new service to support older and disabled people.

I won’t waste your time with the details. It doesn’t make sense. All I will do is express my deepest condolences to Baroness Casey of Blackstock.

Because Labor is taking control away.

Governments establish these types of commissions not to solve problems but to delay solutions. The Labor Party does not even pretend otherwise. That is why they have given Baroness Casey until 2028 to report.

Ask Sir Andrew Dilnot. In 2010, he chaired a commission on social care funding, reporting within a year and proposing the now infamous £86,000 social care cap.

Then nothing material happened until Reeves killed him in a sentencing 14 years later.

An understandably bitter Sir Andrew has urged politicians of all stripes to grow up and tackle the welfare crisis.

Instead, Labor will play dumb for another four years.

By the time Baroness Casey’s welfare report is ready, the 2029 election will almost be upon us. That’s exactly the point.

Starmer is off to a disastrous start. He’s headed for annihilation in the 2029 election and doesn’t have the personality to do anything about it.

Social assistance is a minefield. Remember the notorious dementia tax, which left Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May a mental wreck in the 2017 election?

Politicians have been terrified of welfare ever since.

Today’s decision is a deliberate move to ensure Starmer never has to touch it.

He also confirms that he knows he is unlikely to be prime minister after the next election. Basically, he is returning this poisoned chalice to the conservativesReform or whoever follows his hapless administration.

It’s a little early for Starmer to give up, but given his desperate start, it’s probably his wisest decision yet.

But it means that families will continue to lose their homes during this Parliament and probably the next as well. Further proof that Westminster politics is broken. And this government too.