“Tell me my party’s social media team did not film a pensioner losing the winter fuel allowance wearing a solid gold @ROLEX?”
A Tory campaign ad has spectacularly backfired, leading once more to accusations that the party is out of touch.
The Tories had launched a campaign ad to attack the Labour Party over its decision to means test winter fuel payments, a decision which has been criticised by some pensioner groups and anti-poverty campaigners.
The winter fuel payment will be limited to only those over state pension age who claim pension credit or certain kinds of benefits. As a result of the changes and payment only being given to the very poorest pensioners, the number of those who receive the winter fuel payment will reduce from more than 11 million to about 1.5 million.
The government has insisted that there is no room for a U-turn and that difficult decisions must be made. In a speech at the TUC conference, Keir Starmer faced down critics and said that he would not apologise for the changes Labour have made, given the precarious state of the country’s finances.
Rather than interviewing pensioners who have been particularly disadvantaged by the changes, their campaign video featured a number of senior citizens with all sorts of luxury items.
In one clip, a pensioner says he is concerned about his ability to pay his bills while wearing a Rolex.
One social media user posted on X: “Tell me my party’s social media team did not film a pensioner losing the winter fuel allowance wearing a solid gold @ROLEX?”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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