'Don't bribe pensioners' says IDS

Wealthy pensioners should not be "bribed" with state handouts like free bus passes and TV licences, Iain Duncan Smith claimed yesterday.

The Work and Pensions Secretary appeared to defy David Cameron, who has said that the benefits will not be cut, when he declared: "It's rather daft to take tax off the middle classes and pay them a little bit back."

Before the election, Mr Cameron told voters the Winter Fuel Allowance, bus pass, Pension Credit and free TV licence were all "safe". But in an interview in The Times, Mr Duncan Smith said: "The welfare system is there to support you in times of need and when you get clear of it you should be clear of it... It's rather daft to take tax off the middle classes and pay them a little bit back... That's a very expensive way of giving a bribe."