Campaigners tonight urged Tory leadership hopefuls to promise to protect free TV licences for the over-75s.
Candidates vying for the top job faced calls to stand by the 2017 Conservative election manifesto, which promised to maintain the lifeline for the rest of this Parliament.
Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams said: “Many older people have told us about just how much they rely on their TV for company, particularly the lonely, chronically sick and disabled.
“We know that some would have to start rationing heating or food if they were faced with having to pay for a licence in future.
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“Stripping older people of their free TV licence risks leaving them without one of their few pleasures in life.
“The Conservative leadership contest is an opportunity for the candidates to do the right thing and pledge to take back responsibility for funding the free TV licence for over-75s from the BBC, so it can be looked at as part of the BBC’s new funding settlement, which comes into force in 2022.
“We hope all those running for leader of the party will examine their consciences and the evidence Age UK and others have produced, and agree to help some of our most vulnerable older people in this way.
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“We certainly know that if the threat hanging over the free TV licence was lifted hundreds of thousands of older people would be both pleased and heartily relieved.”
National Pensioners Convention general secretary Jan Shortt said: “Older voters will want to know whether or not the future Tory leader will stick by a manifesto commitment to keep the TV licences for the over-75s or even go further and ensure it carries on beyond the next Parliament.
“It’s an important question of trust and one that should really be pretty straightforward to answer.
“Either the candidates believe tackling loneliness among our older population is an important job for government to do, or they don’t.”
Currently all households with someone aged 75 or over are entitled to a free licence.
The Conservatives pledged at the 2017 snap ballot to keep the benefit for the length of this Parliament, due to run until 2022.
(Image: Chris Neill/Maverick Photography)
But OAPs face being stripped of the perk after then Chancellor George Osborne stitched up a deal in 2015 for the BBC to take on the burden of funding the £745-million-a-year lifeline from June 2020.
Options put forward by the corporation include scrapping them altogether, replacing them with a 50% concession for all over-75s, lifting the threshold for eligibility to 77 or 80, or means-testing so those who get pension credits are able to claim the benefit.
A 12-week consultation closed in February and a decision is expected next month.
The Mirror is campaigning to save the licences, with more than 18,000 readers backing the battle by completing coupons in the paper.
Royle Family actor Ricky Tomlinson and former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown have supported the fight.
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More than 128,000 people have signed Age UK’s Switched Off petition calling for the licences to be preserved and the Government to take back responsibility for funding the perk.
Labour’s deputy leader, Shadow Culture Secretary Tom Watson, said: “Every single candidate for the Tory leadership should promise to preserve free TV licences for over-75s. Failure to do so is dereliction of duty to older people.
“Protecting free TV licences was a Tory manifesto promise, but due to this Government’s attempted sleight of hand, millions of over-75s are facing losing their licence.
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“For those who are lonely or housebound, this will leave them even more cut off from the outside world.
“Support from candidates for keeping the concession should be clear and unequivocal.
“A candidate who cannot keep a simple promise to our oldest citizens is certainly not fit to be Prime Minister.”
Philippa Childs, head of the Bectu broadcasting union, said: “Our members are concerned that yet more Government instability will push serious funding implications for the BBC further down the political agenda.
“We therefore urge leadership candidates to be proactive on this issue, using this opportunity to right George Osborne’s wrong and acknowledge that free TV licences for over-75s is a social benefit and the Government’s responsibility.
“It’s not acceptable to pass the buck on this and continue to hide behind the BBC’s current consultation.
“The right thing to do is for Government to take back ownership of funding this important lifeline for the over-75s.”
The Mirror contacted representatives for all 11 declared candidates bidding to succeed Theresa May , asking if they were prepared to stand by the manifesto pledge and rule out stripping OAPs of their free TV licences.
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Of those who responded, just two were prepared to guarantee pensioners would continue to receive free TV licences.
Andrea Leadsom’s spokeswoman said she would “definitely keep them”, while Sajid Javid’s spokeswoman said he would “commit to keeping” free TV licences.
But Dominic Raab’s spokesman said: “As the Government has said, funding for free TV licenses for the over-75s will transfer to the BBC from 2020, and it then becomes the BBC’s decision whether to continue the concession in its current form.
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“The Government has been clear that it wants, and expects, the BBC to continue the concession, as the BBC understood when it agreed to its current funding settlement in 2015.”
A spokesman for Kit Malthouse said: “Kit has no plans to change party policy on this.”
James Cleverly’s spokesman said: “We are going to be presenting our policies and positive vision over the next week and we will make all of our commitments at that point.”
Matt Hancock, a former Culture Secretary, dodged saying whether he would promise to keep the benefit, but instead piled pressure on the BBC.
He said: “The BBC is a very well funded organisation with guaranteed funding for the next eight years.
“They should listen to the voice of the Mirror and do the right thing by our pensioners and keep the free TV licence.”
The Mirror believes the Government should continue funding the benefit, rather than the corporation.
Representatives for Boris Johnson, Rory Stewart, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Esther McVey did not comment.
