1 week Ago By Katie Harris,Giles Sheldrick
Keir Starmer says government will have to be unpopular Labour “clearly planned to betray” pensioners before the election, a veteran Tory MP has declared. Andrew Rosindell insisted the “cruel” decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million older people was not made recently. In a warning ahead of a Commons vote on the proposals on Tuesday, he added that there will be “no regard” for OAPs under the new Labour government.
Writing in the Daily Express, Mr Rosindell said: “It is a vindictive move by the Labour Party, who blame this decision on the economic black hole which has magically appeared since taking office. “It is highly suspect that the 2024 Labour manifesto was the first in fourteen years to make no mention of the winter fuel payment at all. “It is entirely obvious to all that this was not a decision made recently.
“ Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves had clearly planned to betray our pensioners long before July 4. “It is a heartless move by the left to abandon our elderly, struggling to keep warm this winter, but at the same time, hand over inflation-busting pay rises to the public sector to appease their union masters. “It seems that in this new Labour era there will be no regard for the older generation.
" Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Image: GETTY) Don't miss...
Keir Starmer admits he will be 'unpopular' as fury rages over winter fuel axe [LATEST] Shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride warned that pensioners “will not forget this in a hurry”. He told the Daily Express: “On Tuesday Labour MPs have an opportunity to stand up to Sir Keir Starmer , who seems determined to leave vulnerable pensioners out in the cold, and vote against his cruel plans. “Not backing our vote would be a slap in the face to 10 million pensioners who will miss out this winter.
“Pensioners forced to choose between heating and eating will not forget this in a hurry if Labour MPs don’t see sense.” Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said removal of the payment would be a “real body blow” and pensioners have “very little to look forward to” as they struggle to stay warm in. She said: “We know affluent older people won’t miss it, but for their counterparts who are barely scraping by, this loss of £200 or £300 will be a real body blow.
“For them, the decision already spells deep anxiety about how they will afford to keep their home warm, as well as putting food on the table. “Most are determined not to go into debt and make every possible sacrifice to avoid it, even if it means spending long periods in bed to stay warm, or eating sandwiches rather than hot meals. If fit enough they may ride public transport or go to the local library to feel their heat - but of course, in the end they will still return to a cold home.
In short, life offers them very little to look forward to. The Government should think again.” Trending The annual payment, a lump sum given to all pensioners and introduced by former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 1997, will be officially scrapped on September 16 with only those in receipt of Pension Credit, which 900,000 OAPs are too proud to claim, qualifying.
The allowance remains unchanged at £200 for those aged between 66 and 79 and £300 for those over 80. The number entitled to a payment designed to help them cover costs through the coldest months of the year will drop from 11.4 million to 1.
5 million. Overall, it will save £1.5 billion against the £10 billion needed to fund public sector pay rises for striking doctors and train drivers.
Experts said the cash raid will leave 10 million OAPs, already existing on meagre incomes, petrified about keeping warm without turning the heating on. Household energy bills are set to rise 10% from October 1, and stay high across winter, leaving average annual gas and electricity costs of £1,717 unaffordable for millions. An Age UK petition demanding a U-turn has now topped 500,000 signatures.
The impending injustice has seen newly-elected Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan, who used to work for the National Pensioners Convention, warn it was being imposed “without prior consolation or without an impact assessment, not with sufficient time to put in place a proper and effective take-up campaign for Pension Credit”. Demanding an end to the purge, he said: “Colder homes make older people more susceptible to poor health, including hypothermia, respiratory and circulatory disease.” Labour MP Rachel Maskell added: “The mitigation put in by the Government is insufficient.
We have to go back to why [Gordon Brown] introduced this. He was emphatic that he didn’t want people to go cold over winter. We absolutely should uphold those values.
” Clive Lewis, a candidate for Labour leader in the party’s 2020 election, said: “Cutting the Winter Fuel Allowance is really going to put a lot of the pensioners into real hardship and possibly worse. The universal nature of this benefit is its strength. There is no ‘cliff-edge’.
” Other Labour MPs among around 15 set to vote against the Government include Jon Trickett, Nadia Whittome, Kim Johnson, Ian Lavery, and Kate Osborne. Cross-bench Peer Baroness Ros Altmann, 68, the former pensions minister, has tabled a “fatal” parliamentary motion in an attempt to kill off the Government’s plan to slash the payments, calling it “one of the worst decisions I have ever seen”. The Tories said Labour had been “dragged” to the Commons to try and publicly justify its “cruel decision”.
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, is set to meet Ms Reeves today [Mon], and said: “Many pensioners eke out the Winter Fuel Payments to allow them to keep some heating on through the cold months. While there’s an argument for ending its universality due to tight national finances, it’s being squeezed to too narrow a group – just those on benefits and Pension Credit.
Yet again, those just above the thresholds will be hardest hit.” Baroness Altmann said: “The Government must put this decision on hold pending a proper impact assessment and mitigation measures. “At the very least this decision should be delayed to make proper assessments of the potential hardship and work out mitigations carefully.
It is only fair to warn people and also to decide how to properly target help that is vital to so many properly. “Those pensioners I am most worried about are those who have already cut their spending to the bone, who live in energy inefficient homes, who spend most of their time at home, and have no way of replacing this lost money as energy bills rise. All they can do is turn down or turn off the heating.
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Read our Privacy Policy Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July that the previously universal payments of up to £300 a year would be restricted to only those on pension credit. She blamed a £22 billion black hole in the public finances left by the previous Tory government, which they have denied. MPs are set to vote on the controversial measure in the Commons on Tuesday following intense pressure from opposition parties.
A string of Labour MPs including Rosie Duffield have said they will not vote with the government, but Sir Keir has a huge working majority of 167. The policy is expected to reduce the number of older people in receipt of the allowance from 11.4 million to 1.
5 million, saving around £1.4 billion this year. A Government spokesperson said: “We are absolutely committed to supporting pensioners through the triple lock which means that over 12 million pensioners will see their state pensions increase by almost a thousand pounds over the next five years.
“But given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it’s right that we target support to those who need it most. Over a million pensioners will continue to receive the winter fuel payment , while many others will also benefit from the £150 Warm Home Discount from October to help with their energy bills over winter. “We are urging pensioners to come forward and check their eligibility for pension credit to ensure as many people in need as possible have access to this support.
” Andrew Rosindell warned pensioners will be plunged into fuel poverty (Image: PARLIAMENT) Comment by Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell The cruel decision taken by this new Labour Government has left our nation’s pensioners facing the terrifying prospect of choosing between a warm home, essential social care costs, or food on their plate. After spending the majority of their lives working for the good of future generations and contributing to society, they are being rewarded by having one of their key support systems ripped away from under them, with no prior warning, and little reassurance of any additional measures being introduced. The winter fuel payment has been in place now for 26 years and its removal will affect over 10 million of our pensioners; with almost 20% of these already living under the poverty line.
As Member of Parliament for Romford in Essex, where I have lived all my life, we have the highest population of over-65s across Greater London. I have received hundreds of letters from elderly people who are now stricken with worry over how this will affect their health, warmth, and their quality of life. It cannot be right that those who have worked all their lives, and in many cases, served their country, are now fighting just to stay warm in their own homes.
It is a vindictive move by the Labour Party, who blame this decision on the economic ‘black hole’ which has magically appeared since taking office. It is highly suspect that the 2024 Labour manifesto was the first in fourteen years to make no mention of the winter fuel payment at all. It is entirely obvious to all that this was not a decision made recently.
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves had clearly planned to betray our pensioners long before the 4th of July. It is a heartless move by the left to abandon our elderly, struggling to keep warm this winter, but at the same time, hand over inflation-busting pay rises to the public sector to appease their union masters. It seems that in this new Labour era there will be no regard for the older generation.
This harrowing decision will cause hardship for so many of our senior citizens who never expected to be hit so hard in the pocket by such ‘caring, sharing’ socialists. Our pensioners deserve better, and I will continue to stand up for them..
