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Rachel Reeves stands accused of “gaslighting pensioners” after claiming Britain’s elderly are “better off” thanks to her time as Chancellor.

The Chancellor, who is widely tipped to face the sack within weeks, made the extraordinary boast during a television interview, insisting older people had been protected on her watch.

But the claim sparked fury from Conservative rivals who pointed out the millions of pensioners have been drafted into paying tax under Labour.

Speaking to the Daily Express top Tories also pointed to Ms Reeves decision to strip away the winter fuel allowance.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Reeves said: “I have had to make hundreds and hundreds of choices as Chancellor, and they haven’t always been easy choices.”

She added: “But if you are a pensioner watching this programme today then you have had two increases in your state pension, significantly higher than the increase in prices”.

The Chancellor went on: “I do know that pensioners are better off after two years of this Labour government.”

But Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately torpedoed the claim, blasting: “Rachel Reeves is gaslighting pensioners once again.”

She added: “Thanks to her, many pensioners are being dragged into paying tax. That comes on top of rising prices driven by her disastrous policies and high energy bills courtesy of net zero zealot Ed Miliband.”

Ms Whately reminded readers of the winter fuel row that enraged pensioners across the country. She said: “Labour showed their true colours when they tried to take the winter fuel allowance from millions of pensioners.”

She insisted only the Conservatives could “be relied on to back pensioners and deliver a stronger economy and stronger country”.

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride was equally scathing, declaring: “I am afraid her score card is very low when it comes to securing the economic future of our country.”

He warned little would improve once Ms Reeves is gone, with Andy Burnham “clearly going to lean more into tax, more into borrowing”.

But Labour MP Miatta Fahnbulleh, a close ally of the incoming Prime Minister, admitted “people are impatient for change”, conceding the “pace and scale of it needs to be much greater to meet the demands of the country”.

Mr Burnham has previously affirmed his commitment to the triple lock on the state pension, in a Q&A online where he said he would stand by it as a manifesto commitment from 2024.