Sky News’ Kay Burley has torn a Labour minister to shreds in a fiery row over winter fuel payment cuts.
Housing Minister Alex Norris has attempted to defend Liz Kendall’s energy bills being paid for by taxpayers despite stripping pensioners of the winter fuel payment.
Ms Kendall has been slammed for claiming up to £350 a month from the taxpayer for energy costs while cutting the relief for millions of older people.
In her role as Work and Pensions Secretary, she oversaw removing the payment for 10million pensioners while bills at her second home are being taken care of from the public purse.
Ms Burley said: “It appeared over the weekend that the woman responsbile for taking that money off 10 million pensioners is claiming up to £350 a month on energy bills for her second home.”
Mr Norris responded: “I don’t know if you’ve worked your way before but like members of parliament.”
He was cut off by the presenter to hit back by saying she had never asked the state to pay for her energy bills.
She added: “And I’ve certainly never taken £300 off pensioners.”
Mr Norris said her employer would meet the costs of living or staying away from home.
Ms Burley hit back that her bosses don’t get money off the taxpayer to fund people’s jobs.
The minister said: “Anybody in any walk of life would expect that if they had to work away from home, the cost of doing that would be met.”
Ms Burley suggested Ms Kendall did not have to accept the money because her or “atleast her family are very wealthy in their own right”.
Ms Kendall’s main base is a four-bedroom property in Notting Hill, west London, which she shares with her partner.
But she is allowed to claim costs for the second property she rents in her Leicester West constituency.
The most recent documents held by the House of Commons show she claimed a total of £3,810 in energy costs between April 2023 and July this year, with the largest monthly bills totalling £352, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The Express has launched a crusade demanding the Government U-turns on its decision to remove the lifeline from millions of pensioners.