Keir Starmer is braced for a furious Labour rebellion next week over plans to cut Winter Fuel Payments for over 10 million pensioners.
The Government says the controversial move is necessary as ministers grapple with a £22billion black hole left by the Tories. But it has sparked warnings that pensioners will die as a result, and critics say elderly people are “worried sick”.
The cut would see the Winter Fuel Payment, worth up to £300, become means-tested. Ten Labour MPs have signed a Commons motion opposing cuts – an early sign of the scale of opposition the PM could have to face off. MPs will vote on the policy on Tuesday.
Ministers say the move will save the Treasury £1.4billion this financial year, while also ensuring pensioners who need the payments continue to get it. But charity Age UK has demanded a reversal, saying two million will struggle to make ends meet as a result.
And one furious Labour MP, Rachael Maskell, has warned excess deaths of pensioners could rise as a result. But defending the move, Commons leader Lucy Powell said the Government has taken “some really difficult decisions” that it “did not want to make”.
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What is the Winter Fuel Payment?
The Winter Fuel Payment was brought in back in 1997, when Labour returned to power. It is designed to ensure pensioners can afford to pay their energy bills when temperatures drop.
Under the current rules, Winter Fuel Payments are available to everyone in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who is over state pension age – regardless of your income. The exact date changes every year, but most recently, this included those born on or before September 24, 1957.
How are Winter Fuel Payments changing?
If you live in England or Wales, you’ll only be able to get a Winter Fuel Payment from now on if you’re over state pension age and receiving one of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
How much you’ll receive in Winter Fuel Payments won’t be changing – they will still be worth up to £300, depending on your circumstances.
How many people will be affected?
The update means around 10 million fewer pensioners will be able to claim Winter Fuel Payments. At the moment around 11.4 million qualify.
But this will be reduced to 1.5 million who meet the criteria. The move will save the Treasury around £1.4billion this financial year.
What have rebels said?
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Daily Mirror)
In a scathing attack on the policy, Labour backbencher Rachael Maskell said she fears pensioners will die as a result. She wrote in The Telegraph: “We know that being cold leads to stroke, heart attacks, pneumonia, hyperthermia and so much more as the body wrestles to keep warm, and viruses prey on the frail.”
And Ms Maskell continued: “The fear is that, if we withdraw winter fuel payments for those in fuel poverty, it will lead to excess deaths.” Another disgruntled backbencher said the move, coupled with the refusal to scrap the two-child benefit limit, has caused anger. They said: “There’s people right across the political divide who are very unhappy. They need to consider a u-turn over the winter fuel payments. I think this is going to ramp up, there’s a lot of angry people out there.”
What’s the Government said this week?
Commons leader Lucy Powell said the changes were necessary because of a Treasury audit finding a £22 billion black hole in spending, inherited from the Conservatives. She said: “The legacy they have left us means we have had to make some really difficult decisions, decisions we did not want to make, like means testing the winter fuel payment.
“But we are doing all we can to support pensioners this winter: protecting the triple lock, which has seen the state pension go up by £900 this year and likely to rise by several hundred pounds next year; the Warm Home Discount worth £150; extending the Household Support Fund; and a huge campaign to get eligible pensioners onto Pension Credit.
“And yes, we have scheduled a vote on the winter fuel payment next week, because we are not afraid to have the debate about how we have got to where we have got to, a vote that, quite frankly, would not have happened under his party opposite because we respect Parliament and we respect doing things properly.”
What do charities say?
Charity Age UK has launched a petition, which has been signed by almost 490,000 people, calling for a U-turn. Age UK says: “Cutting the Winter Fuel Payment this winter, with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, is the wrong policy decision.
“Millions of struggling pensioners won’t receive up to £300 they rely on to pay their bills. We believe as many as 2 million pensioners who find paying their energy bills a real stretch will be seriously hit by this cut.”
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Am I or a loved one missing out when I shouldn’t be?
It is estimated that 880,000 people who are entitled to pension credit don’t claim it. On Sunday the Government launched a week of action saying this “needs to change”. Ministers called on everyone who is eligible to sign up. This will ensure they don’t miss out on Winter Fuel Payments.
Applications for Pension Credit can be made:
- On the How to Claim page
- Over the phone by calling 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm)
- By printing out and filling in a paper application form
- For more information visit the Pension Credit GOV.UK page
- People who have reached State Pension age before September 23, 2024 and who get Pension Credit, Income Support, Income based JSA, Income related ESA, Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit, will be entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment – subject to eligibility conditions.