Labour‘s plan to restrict winter fuel payments for pensioners faced accusations of hypocrisy last night amid claims that ministers are demanding extra heating for their offices in the Commons.
Westminster sources have told The Mail on Sunday that some have been asking for new radiators to be installed, following complaints that parts of the 19th Century parliamentary estate become draughty and damp when the weather turns cold.
It comes as controversy mounts over the decision to withdraw winter fuel payments – worth up to £300 a year to help with heating bills – from many hard-up pensioners. And last night the Tories accused Labour of ‘hypocrisy beyond belief’ over the radiator requests.
Senior Tory MP Paul Holmes said: ‘It’s truly shocking that Labour ministers will stay warm this winter, courtesy of the taxpayer, while pensioners will be forced to choose between heating and eating in the face of Labour’s cruel cut to winter fuel payments. It’s clear this Labour Government is not a government of service but one of self-service.’
The decision to axe winter fuel aid for about ten million elderly people stunned many Labour MPs when it was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in July. The Government justified the move, designed to save about £1.4 billion a year, saying it was necessary to tackle an alleged £22 billion fiscal black hole left by the previous Conservative government.
MPs inside the House of Commons. Sources have told The Mail on Sunday that some ministers have been asking for new radiators to be installed, following complaints that parts of the Palace of Westminster become draughty and damp when the weather turns cold
The news comes as controversy mounts over the decision to withdraw winter fuel payments – worth up to £300 a year to help with heating bills – from many hard-up pensioners
Senior Tory MP Paul Holmes said: ‘It’s truly shocking that Labour ministers will stay warm this winter, courtesy of the taxpayer, while pensioners will be forced to choose between heating and eating in the face of Labour’s cruel cut to winter fuel payments’
The decision to axe winter fuel aid for about ten million elderly people stunned many Labour MPs when it was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in July. The Government justified the move, designed to save about £1.4 billion a year
The policy has since been backed by the Commons – but with more than 50 Labour MPs refusing to cast a vote.
And at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this week, the row will blow up again as bosses of two unions – Unite and the Communication Workers Union – have tabled motions seeking to reverse the decision.
Unite is calling for ‘a vision where pensioners are not the first to face a new wave of cuts’, and both unions confirmed last night that they will push for a vote on the conference floor.
However, one Labour MP privately said it was possible delegates would not get to vote on the controversial issue.
In older parts of the historic Palace of Westminster, the creaking heating system is often blamed for failing to keep some rooms warm in the winter. But one Labour MP said it was ‘a terrible look’ for ministers to push through a cut for pensioners and then ask for extra taxpayer-funded heating for themselves.
Commons officials refused last night to comment on the provision of extra radiators, but sources said that ‘in circumstances where a room may struggle to reach targeted temperature ranges, electric heaters may be provided’.