Keir Starmer dealt blow as OWN Labour research shows plan to axe Winter Fuel Payments could kill 4,000 Britons

Labour’s research, which was published when Sir Keir Starmer was serving as Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, also labelled Theresa May’s proposal the “single biggest attack on pensioners in a generation in our country”.

The research said: “Since the introduction of the Winter Fuel Payment by Labour in 1997, allowing for significant variation in winter weather, deaths among the elderly have fallen from around 34,000 to 24,000."

However, backbench Labour MPs will now look to mount a rebellion against Starmer himself as the Prime Minister looks to force through his deeply unpopular plan to means-test the energy bill subsidy.

Starmer initially hoped to avoid a Commons cabal scrutinising his proposal by introducing the cuts through secondary legislation but was forced to hold a vote after pressure from the Tories.

The Prime Minister stressed he is now “glad” a vote is going ahead, adding: “I think it's very important for Parliament to speak on this.

“This is really tough, and I do get that it's tough, it's not easy, and no Prime Minister wants to take a decision like this.

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“But the Winter Fuel Payments are now to be targeted, they were untargeted before, and I think everybody thought that wasn't a particularly good system, so it needed to be targeted.”

Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell appeared to voice concern about deaths this winter.

McDonnell, who spoke out against the winter fuel cuts back in 2017, said: “I remain in hope ministers will come forward with an alternative to protect my constituents, who will suffer badly from this change of policy.

“If not I can't in all conscience do anything else but vote against.”

However, McDonnell’s criticism comes after he and six other Labour MPs lost the whip for supporting an SNP motion to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

Current Labour MPs have also warned the Prime Minister against pursuing the policy.

An MP told The Daily Mail: “This is blatant hypocrisy. All those now reversing Gordon Brown's winter fuel allowance were Labour MPs when we fought against Theresa May's Government's plans to scrap it in 2017.

“Times change but the basic ethos and political principles of the largest parties should not be quite as interchangeable.”

York Central MP Rachael Maskell added: “My concern is that an NHS under extreme pressure will experience even more pressure if people who are fuel-poor are ending up there because they can't heat their homes.

“Labour has got to find a solution to assure people they can get through this winter.”

Despite Labour’s own 2017 research, a Government spokesman claimed Whitehall was not able to recognise those figures.

He said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners through the triple lock, which means that over 12 million pensioners will see their state ­pensions increase by almost £1,000 over the next five years.

“Given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it's right that we target support to those who need it most. Over a million pensioners will continue to receive the Winter Fuel Payment, while many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount from October.”