Labour MPs who voted to ‘freeze your grandparents’ in winter fuel showdown are named and shamed – as Rachel Reeves dismisses calls to ease the blow for pensioners

Labour MPs are being hammered for ‘voting to freeze your grandparents’ as Rachel Reeves dismissed calls to ease the pain for pensioners.

The government is facing mounting fury after the Commons approved axing winter fuel payments for 10million older people.

MPs who backed Keir Starmer‘s plan amid tears and recriminations at Parliament last night are being targeted online, with Tories making clear they will be held accountable.

After a day of drama just one Labour MP – veteran left-winger Jon Trickett – voted against the measure, although more than 50 abstained. 

Many cited reasons such as dentist appointments for staying away, with the party claiming that only a dozen absences were not authorised. It is still unclear what punishments Sir Keir will impose, with Mr Trickett jibing that he would ‘sleep well’ after taking his stand.

The PM will face a grilling in the chamber at lunchtime with the weekly PMQs session. 

Ms Reeves again insisted this morning that she had been forced into the controversial policy by a ‘black hole’ in the public finances.

The Chancellor told broadcasters: ‘We faced a situation when I became chancellor that there was a £22 billion black hole in the public finances this year.

‘That meant we had to make difficult decisions, tough decisions, to get a grip of those public finances so that we could bring stability back to the economy.

‘These weren’t decisions that I wanted to make. They weren’t decisions that I expected to make, but in the circumstances that we faced, it was absolutely right to make sure that our public finances were on a firmer footing.

‘Because only through doing that do we have the chance to bring stability back to our economy and start to grow the economy after 14 years of stagnation.’

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook told Sky News: ‘We’re not going to water down that policy. We think it’s the right decision to make.’

Asked about the Government’s decision to award pay increases to public-sector workers while reducing winter fuel support, he said: ‘What this Government has done is implement the recommendations of the independent public sector pay review bodies. 

‘Now, unless the opposition in parliament are saying they would have rejected those recommendations out of hand, allowed industrial action to continue, which was extremely costly to the UK economy, they would have faced that same decision.’

There were angry clashes in the Commons over the decision to means-test the winter fuel payment.

Only those on pensioner credit – with incomes below around £11,400 – will get the benefit in future. 

Dozens of Labour MPs abstained on the vote – which the party itself warned could kill 4,000 pensioners a year in previous research from 2017. 

Tory supporters have been attacking Labour MPs online for ‘voting to freeze your grandparents’

It is still unclear what punishments Sir Keir will impose, with Jon Trickett jibing that he would ‘sleep well’ after taking his stand

Labour’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: ‘[The move] flies against everything I believe in as a Labour MP about tackling inequality and poverty in our society. I was not elected to impoverish my constituents and put them in this hardship.’

Former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey said Labour had ‘declared war on pensioners’ because they were more likely to vote Conservative.

But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said ministers had been left with ‘no choice’ but to make the £1.5billion cut to help fill an alleged £22billion ‘black hole’ left behind by the previous Tory administration.

He said that increases in the state pension – including a £460 rise next year – would help ensure pensioners do not lose out.