Threatening The Grey Panthers. Is This When Dave Lost The Referendum?

Over the last two elections there have been pivotal events which, while small in themselves, have I believe signalled the moment at which that election was lost. For Gordon Brown in 2010 it was the capture of off camera remarks in a taxi when he referred to Gillian Duffy as a "bigoted woman". In 2015 it was when Ed Miliband unveiled the now infamous "Ed Stone". I have been waiting for such a moment to appear in the great referendum debate and I think that it has finally happened.

On Sunday last David Cameron appeared on The Andrew Marr Show. During the interview The prime minister said Brexit could cause a "black hole" in the public finances and that "our economy would be smaller" if the UK left the single market leading to "difficult choices". So far, so much the same old Project Fear. However, he then went on to say something which I believe to be a threat too far and may very well loose him this vote and ultimately his job as Prime Minister.

He said forecasts from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested Brexit could lead to a shortfall in the public finances of between £20bn and £40bn which would need to be "filled" - either by tax rises, extra borrowing or spending cuts.

You will remember that In their 2015 election manifesto, the Conservatives promised to extend the so-called triple lock on state pensions, a guarantee that they rise every year by at least 2.5% - or the rate of inflation or growth in earnings if it is higher - until 2020.

With his foot planted firmly in his mouth "Call me Dave" said that while pensioner benefits were a "policy priority" and he was committed to honouring manifesto promises, £90bn was spent on the triple lock every year and it was among many existing commitments that might have to be re-examined in a post-Brexit climate. He effectively threatened pensioners that if they voted for Brexit he would consider cutting their pensions by removing the triple lock.

From what I have seen in the letters columns of various papers today pensioners have not taken kindly to bully boy Dave's gambit. I don't think it could have gone worse for him if he had brought out the Andrex puppy and a revolver and said "Vote IN or the doggie gets it". If the vote goes the way I hope it will I think many in the Remain camp will rue the day that, that young whippersnapper David Cameron threatened the entire pride of grey panthers