Corbyn says May’s manifesto aims to ‘pitch young against old’

Jeremy Corbyn has taken aim at Theresa May and the Conservatives saying they are trying to "pitch young against old" with plans to scrap the pension triple lock and universal winter fuel allowance.

At a speech in Birmingham, the Labour leader intensified his attack on the Prime Minister over manifesto pledges which he has termed a "triple whammy of misery" for pensioners.

Mrs May has said she is committed to protecting the dignity of Britain’s elderly after unveiling plans which also include a radical shake-up of social care funding which could see more elderly people paying to be looked after in their own home.

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The policies have already exposed cracks in the Conservative camp with senior Tory Sarah Wollaston claiming scrapping the planned cap on care costs would leave people facing a "miserable lottery" when it came to funding their future care needs.

The issue has been compounded by the Scottish Conservatives confirming that they wouldn’t be introducing winter fuel means testing for pensioners with devolution allowing them to make different decisions.

Mr Corbyn is demanding that the "anti-pensioner package" is immediately dropped as Labour tries to woo the so-called "grey vote".

Elderly people are more likely to turn out on polling day so their support is an important boost for any political party.

Jeremy Corbyn told supporters in the Midlands: "Where the Tories look to divide, Labour seeks to bring people together. The Tories are now trying to pitch the young against the old. Their manifesto is a typical nasty party attempt to set generations against each other.

"For pensioners they offer a triple whammy of misery, ending the triple lock which protects pensioner incomes, means-testing the winter fuel allowance and slapping a ‘dementia tax’ on those who need social care by making them pay for it with their homes.

"Some claim that cutting support for the elderly is necessary to give more help to the young. But young people are being offered no hope by the Tories either – loaded up with tuition fee debts and next to no chance of a home of their own.

"Labour stands for unity across all ages and regions. It is simply wrong to claim that young people can only be given a fair deal at the expense of the old, or vice versa. We all depend on each other.

"That’s why we are calling on the Tories to drop their anti-pensioner package immediately – older people should not be used as a political football."

Mrs May was also campaigning today, in West London, where she rejected Labour claims that the Conservative manifesto is an attack on older people.

She said:" What we’re doing is taking the system that already exists of these deferred payments for residential care and saying that that should apply for care at home.

"We’re quadrupling the assets that will be protected. So people will have £100,000 of assets protected rather than the £23,000 that is currently in the arrangements.

"But I think as we look at the long term, and facing this challenge, we need to ensure that what we’re doing is providing dignity for older people in their old age, but doing it in a way that is fair across the generations."

(c) Sky News 2017: Corbyn says May’s manifesto aims to ‘pitch young against old’