Pensioners face losing winter fuel allowance and bus passes as George Osborne vows to slash spending by £25BILLION after the 2015 election.
The Chancellor will insist today his brutal policies are working but warns: “There’s still a long way to go.”
The multi-millionaire Tory will ignore the plight of public services reduced to shreds and focus on tax giveaways to justify more slashing.
Speaking in the Midlands, he will say: “We’ve got to make more cuts. That’s why 2014 is the year of hard choices.”
Coming after David Cameron yesterday ducked questions about fuel allowances, bus passes and free TV licences, pensioners fear more misery at the hands of the Conservatives.
The PM pledged to keep the “triple lock”, if he’s re-elected, which means state pensions rise by at least 2.5%. But he refused to give the same guarantee for the rest.
He told the BBC: “We’ll set out plans in our manifesto.”
That was enough to alarm pensioner groups who said the lock was worthless if energy prices kept soaring.
The National Pensioners’ Convention’s Neil Duncan-Jordan said the current £110.15 a week was the second lowest in the developed world after Mexico.
He added: “We have add-ons because we don’t get a decent pension to travel on buses and heat our homes.”
As the election approaches, no party is likely to attack the triple lock. But Labour say they will strip fuel allowances from the richest 5% of pensioners. The Lib Dems would means test it.
But Mr Osborne’s aides made it clear he wanted new cuts after next year’s general election. And Mr Cameron signalled other welfare payments will be slashed - including housing benefit.
The PM also talked tough on immigration and Europe yesterday, after a poll showed 37% of those voting Tory last time wouldn’t do so again.
Half the defectors say they plan to vote for Nigel Farage’s UKIP party.
Mr Farage said: “David Cameron seems to be trying to sound like me. The thing is, I believe in what I say.”
Ok maybe I exaggerated it a bit 
