Tory MPs have slammed Sir Keir Starmer for his ”unforgivable” failure to assess the impact of axing winter fuel payments for up to 10 millions pensioners.

Downing Street admitted that ministers failed to carry out a specific impact assessment on the decision.

Alicia Kearns MP said: “This is an unforgivable dereliction of Labour’s duty to govern responsibly and protect the most vulnerable.

“The only explanation is Labour knows their own assessment in 2017 predicted 3,800 of our older loved ones would die if this policy was introduced, they must fear it would be even worse today.

“Our pensioners deserve better – they need to immediately delay by a year or at least introduce an exemption for all pensioners with chronic or life-limiting conditions.”

Sir Keir deputy spokesperson said the only assessment made before the policy announcement was a standard legal one of potential equalities impacts.

This means the potential effect on illness and death rates among older people has not formally been assessed.

Asked to confirm that there had been no wider assessment to try to establish how many affected pensioners may face health vulnerabilities, and could thus be at risk, the No10 spokesperson said: “That’s right.”

Esther McVey MP said: “The decision to remove the winter fuel allowance from 10 million pensioners was bad enough – especially given that they did it without being honest about it at the election – but to do so without any kind of impact assessment is appalling and callous. They will never be forgiven for this betrayal of our pensioners.”

Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat MP said: ““Labour’s failure to do an impact assessment when this cut will leave millions of people cold this winter shows the government doesn’t care about pensioners. Ripping this benefit away is purely a political decision from Starmer and Reeves so they can pay off their Union backers.

“The British people deserve real leadership that acts to drive positive change, not endless failures from Starmer.”

Fellow Tory MP Gareth Bacon MP called the lack of an impact assessment “truly jaw dropping”.

He said: “The high handed arrogance of this Labour government truly knows no bounds.

“Number 10 had dismissively said they were ‘not going to provide a running commentary’ on the details of the impact assessment and now we know why – it’s not possible to comment on something that doesn’t exist. This government doesn’t care about pensioners at all.”

Stuart Anderson MP added “This is shocking and dangerous. How can Labour make this decision without knowing the consequences?”

Meanwhile Joe Robertson MP said: “It is shameful that the Government has carried out no impact assessment. Older people living with long term health conditions like dementia will spend more time in their own homes this winter than working age people because they have no choice.

“Not only has the Government made no provision for them when choosing to remove their winter fuel payments it has not even bothered to try and understand how this particularly vulnerable group will be affected. This is Government negligence of the worst kind.”

A spokesman for Reform called it a “staggeringly callous approach” from a Government “too keen to gift its financial backers in the Unions”. He added: “They clearly don’t give a damn about pensioners, and now it appears they don’t care if our pensioners know it.”

Sir Keir Starmer had been accused of “hiding” the impact of the Government’s winter fuel payment cuts in a clash with former Prime Minister Rishi SUnak at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Labour has argued the move to save more than £1 billion this year is required to help respond to a “£22 billion black hole” in the public finances left by the previous Tory administration.