Pensioners will die because of winter fuel payment cut, John Swinney told

Scotland’s First Minister has been asked whether “accepts” that pensioners will die due to the cut to winter fuel payments.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross accused John Swinney of considering “public sector pen-pushers more important than freezing pensioners”.

The Scottish Government cut the payment after the UK Government announced it would end the universal scheme for all but the poorest pensioners.

Deputy first minister Kate Forbes said Holyrood would lose up to £160m as a result of Keir Starmer’s decision.

Speaking at FMQs on Thursday, the outgoing leader of the Scottish Conservatives said Swinney should mitigate against the Labour decision in England and Wales.

He asked the First Minister whether he “accepts” that pensioners in Scotland will die as a ruslt of his decision, and, at a higher rate than the rest of the UK because of the nation’s colder climate.

“With 90 minutes’ notice, we were abruptly told our budget would be cut by £160m because of the decision of the UK Government,” Swinney said.

“Once we have established a budget for the year, we cannot increase the size of that budget unless there are positive consequential funding decisions from the UK Government. In this case, we’ve had a negative consequential decision, which cuts our budget by £160m.”

Ross said winter fuel payments must be a greater priority for Scotland due its its harsher weather and urged Swinney again to reverse his decision.

Swinney told Ross: “I need no lessons from Douglas Ross about mitigating the decisions of the UK Government because this government is mitigating a series of decisions taken by Douglas Ross and his colleagues on an ongoing basis.”

He accused the party leader, who is set to be replaced as leader later this month, of “desperately clutching at straws in his last weeks in office”.