One wonders what Tom Watson would have left in his vocabulary if the Conservatives announced a policy of kicking away the crutches of the elderly – given, that is, that this morning he described the ‘Tory’ policy of abolishing free TV licences for the over 75s as ‘utterly callous’.
Ending universal free licences for the over 75s is not, of course, a Conservative policy – it was a decision made by the BBC itself in order to preserve the earnings of Gary Lineker, although to be fair to Watson the government did hand the BBC the power to make that decision. Now, though, the Conservatives seem themselves to be edging back to a policy of maintaining free licences for the over 75s – Boris Johnson has reportedly promised to make the policy an election priority.
Universal free TV licences for the over 75s are in one sense absurd.
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