Sir Keir Starmer said he sympathised with people struggling because of the decision to strip the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners but he had a “steely determination” to fix the country’s problems.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the Government was making “painful” decisions “that aren’t going to be popular”.
But he said the “doom and gloom” of his administration’s early days would eventually lead to a “transformation” in the nation’s fortunes.
“It’s difficult, of course, it’s difficult. I don’t want to do it. I’d much rather we hadn’t found that £22 billion black hole,” he told reporters.
But Sir Keir said he would be “judged when we get to the next election, on whether I delivered against the promises that I made”.
He acknowledged the process of having to “rebuild the house” after years of Conservative rule was tough.
“I’ve always said this will take time, but I’m absolutely determined to deliver on my commitments.
“I think that one of the reasons people have lost faith or trust in politics as a force for good is because they don’t think politicians have that steely determination to deliver on what they said would they deliver on.
“So all of this is preparatory work, necessary work, to allow us to deliver on our missions.”
He acknowledged that “it’s been cast as doom and gloom” but “it is important to understand that what we’re doing is ensuring we’re in a position to make that transformation, which is a very good news story, that we can deliver on our promises, the country will be materially better off, and people will feel it, both in their pockets, their health, the opportunities for them and their families”.
Millions of pensioners in England and Wales will lose winter fuel payments worth up to £300 because of the Government’s decision to restrict them to households in receipt of pension credit or other benefits.
Sir Keir said: “Of course I’ve got every sympathy with anyone who is struggling with any of their bills.
“I’m not pretending this is an easy decision, it’s a difficult decision.
“But the question we’ve got to answer is how are you going to make up for a £22 billion shortfall this year, which we hadn’t expected to find, and we’ve taken the view that we have to stabilise the economy, we’ve got to deal with it.”
