State pensioners who've lost £300 Winter Fuel Payment face free bus passes being axed

Pensioners have been warned their FREE bus passes could be next after they lost their £300 Winter Fuel Payments. Sir Keir Starmer, the new Labour Party government leader, has refused to rule out scrapping free bus passes for pensioners.

The Labour leader dodged questions on whether he would keep the popular benefit when pressed last week. One angry pensioner told The Conservative Post: “This bus pass is our lifeline! I can’t believe Labour would even think about taking it away.

"Starmer needs to come clean and promise he won’t touch it. First the winter fuel payment and now this. Starmer needs to go.” 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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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.

"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.

"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."