he left us with no money. how he left us with no money. >> how which means that. >> how which means that. >> so why not delay the announcement until the numbers improve? why are we so firm now? >> because we've got to fix those foundations. we can't just keep kicking decisions down the road. that's what's happened to get us here in the first place. >> and conservative ashley fox, it would be no different. you could have righted this wrong. you didn't. in fact, your last government, the cameron clegg government, the cameron clegg government, is the reason why the equalisation of the pension age. yes, but was sped up. >> there's no problem with the equalisation of pension age. the waspi women claim that they didn't receive timely information. but we know for from oh seven, i think. no, no, we weren't in government. we weren't in government in 2004 entirely. >> labour would absolutely say that they do not agree with the speed at which george osborne accelerated the pension age. >> but the reason they claim they're entitled to compensation is the lack of information. i realise they don't like the decision to increase the pension age to 66, but that's not why

they're entitled to compensation and now you're not paying them anything. having gone into the last election saying you would . last election saying you would. liz kendall with her waspi back starts right now. >> thank you, mr speaker. >> thank you, mr speaker. >> yesterday i met the brave men and women serving on hms iron duke and the troops serving in operation cabrit in estonia . operation cabrit in estonia. this christmas, as every christmas, members of our armed forces will be serving overseas, working day and night to protect britain's national security. and i know that the whole house will join me in sending our deepest thanks to them, to our emergency services and everyone working to keep the country safe over the festive period. >> mr speaker, may i also take this opportunity at the end of the year to thank you and the house staff for all your hard work this year and can i wish everyone across the house a merry christmas and a happy new yeah merry christmas and a happy new year. mr speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial

colleagues and others. in addition to my duties in this house.i addition to my duties in this house. i shall have further such meetings later today. >> president xi thank you, mr speaken >> president xi thank you, mr speaker, and may i associate myself with the prime minister's remarks in 2021? kerry and frances bannau dai davies, who live in my constituency of north east hertfordshire and are in the gallery here today, tragically lost their son hugh at the age of just six to a rare form of cancer. now they are courageously campaigning to ensure that every parent who must leave work to look after a sick child in hospital gets the financial support that they need from day one. will the prime minister meet with them and me to discuss implementing hughes law and giving their son a legacy that improves the lives of families at the most difficult time imaginable? here, the prime minister, mr speaker, can i pay tribute to kerry and frances? >> it is a heartbreaking case and commend them for their

campaign on behalf of other families. i know the minister for social security and disability met the family yesterday, but no parent, no parent should endure losing their child to cancer, particularly at such a young age. we are investing £1.5 billion for new surgical hubs and scanners, £70 million for new radiotherapy machines and we will set out our next steps on the children and young people cancer taskforce shortly. >> we now come to the leader of the opposition. >> kemi badenoch. >> kemi badenoch. >> mr speaker, can i send my warmest wishes to our armed forces at home and overseas to the emergency services and everyone who will be working over christmas? and can i wish you, mr speaker, the house staff and all members of this house, a very merry christmas. >> mr speaker, for years the prime minister and his cabinet played politics with the waspi

women. the deputy prime minister said conservatives were stealing their pensions. >> she promised to compensate them in full. >> another broken promise. now they admit we were right all along. but let's ask about another group of pensioners whose trust . let's ask about whose trust. let's ask about another group of pensioners whose trust was broken. since the chancellor cut winter fuel payments. how many extra people have applied for pension credit? prime minister? >> mr speaker, the number one job of this government was to put the finances back in order after the last government lost control. they left a £22 billion black hole and we had to take tough choices. we made sure the most vulnerable pensioners do get the winter fuel payment, and we have been encouraging and driving up eligibility for pension credit, so sunak to their entitlement and she should join that campaign. but, mr

speaken join that campaign. but, mr speaker, here's the difference. because we have stabilised the economy, we can commit to the triple lock. that means that next april, pensioners get another £470. but here's the difference, because two weeks ago, the shadow chancellor said the triple lock is unsustainable. their position are. so pensioners would lose out under the tories yet again. >> kemi badenoch mish. >> kemi badenoch mish. >> mr speaker, he didn't answer the question because he doesn't know the answer. there are 850,000 eligible pensioners not claiming pension credit if they sign up. if they sign up, that will cost the treasury £2.3 billion, wiping out the savings that the chancellor claimed she would make before the election, his chief secretary told the pubuc his chief secretary told the public they had no plans to cut winter fuel. >> but they did have plans, didn't they? age uk say cutting

the winter fuel payment with very little notice will potentially jeopardise the health and finances of millions of older people. >> does he agree with age uk that this is the last thing both pensioners and the nhs need? >> mr speaker, we have been driving up with a campaign for pension credit. it is important that everybody who is entitled to it claims that pension credit and she should not claim as some great victory the record of their government, that people have not signed up. we're the ones with the campaign. >> they should be supporting it. >> they should be supporting it. >> but because of the triple lock, pensions will be going up by £470 next april. she hasn't answered the question. her shadow chancellor says the triple lock is unsustainable, so she needs to explain how pensioners will be worse off under a tory government. >> oh, it is prime minister's question, kemi badenoch. >> mr speaker, we protected the triple lock during all our time

in government. meanwhile, meanwhile, energy bills, energy bills are increasing despite his promise to cut them by £300 in scotland. his party leader wants to restore the winter fuel payments across england. councils are scrambling to gather funds for struggling pensioners. the tragic reality this christmas is pensioners will suffer and may even die as a result of this cruel policy. did the chancellor consider the impact on councils and on the nhs, or does she just not know what she's doing? >> yeah, the household support fund was set out in the budget. she knows that we're pushing up pension credit, but she now says they are committed to the triple lock. her shadow chancellor says they are not. that it is unsustainable. maybe over a sandwich or a steak, they could sort it out and come back and tell us what their policy actually is. >> kemi badenoch.

>> kemi badenoch. >> mr speaker, the prime minister needs to misrepresent me to make his point. i do not need to misrepresent him to make my point. yes. the truth is, the truth is he didn't think this through. cutting winter fuel payments isn't just callous. it may not make savings. it could actually cost us all more. and that's not the only policy which is making things worse. the chancellor's budget is a body blow to family businesses and also charities. marie curie have warned that labour's budget will cost them nearly £3 million a yeah cost them nearly £3 million a year. this is a cancer charity saying they have no option but to reduce services. did the chancellor tell the prime minister that her jobs tax was going to hit charities? >> yes, mr speaker. she's asked three questions about winter fuel with the leaving out. leaving out. >> i'll come to that. >> i'll come to that. >> but she's changed her mind on this. she used to say that the

payments were a dead weight. she said there were members of her constituency who didn't need it, and they all stood in 2017 on a manifesto, a tory manifesto that committed to getting rid of the universal winter payments for pensioners so we can see what their real commitment is. as for their real commitment is. as for the budget, we're driving up productivity, prosperity. >> i don't want to have to ring your mother, prime minister, mr speaken your mother, prime minister, mr speaker, we're driving up productivity, prosperity and living standards. >> that is a pay rise for 1520 00:09:35,112 --> 00:0