Osborne's meanest silent trick

Good old Boy George.  The Osborne person has excelled himself.  Did you think that you had heard it all in his Budget speech? Of course you did, but think again. OK so there is  a lot of paperwork that accompanies a budget, but you would have thought that the wallpaper heir would have had the nerve not to paper over a policy that will effect every person over 80 in the country and announce it in his speech, especially considering it was one of the shortest in modern times.

So if lack of time wasn't the problem it must have been some other reason.  No prizes for guessing, just look him in the eyes. And what about  PRDave,  who pledged during the election  not to cut winter fuel allowances. who is now an accomplice to what must be one of the meanest tricks yet played by this government.

In 2008 Labour introduced an additional payment of up to £100 on top of the basic £250 pensioner's winter fuel payment. This has continued every winter since but the two millionaires are scrapping the top up from next winter.  To add insult to injury a Treasury spokesman argued that the government is not cutting anything, but simply allowing the top up to expire.

And the cost?  Well there are about 2.4 million pensioners over 80. who receive the extra £100.  It's simple calculation.