Labour delegates leave Government with a bloody nose and vote against plan to cut Winter Fuel Payment

Delegates at the Labour Party conference have voted against the government and urged it to reverse its controversial decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment for more than 10 million pensioners.
Sharon Graham speaks during a debate on cuts to the winter fuel allowance. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA WireSharon Graham speaks during a debate on cuts to the winter fuel allowance. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Sharon Graham speaks during a debate on cuts to the winter fuel allowance. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Members backed a union motion calling for the cut to be reversed, although the vote is not binding and ministers have made it clear the policy will not be changed.

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Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham won several rounds of applause when she made a powerful plea for the allowance to be restored.

She told the Liverpool conference: “People simply do not understand, I do not understand, how our new Labour Government can cut the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and leave the super rich untouched.

“This is not what people voted for. It is the wrong decision and needs to be reversed.

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“We are the sixth richest economy in the world. We have the money.

“Britain needs investment, not austerity mark two.

“We won’t get any gold badge for shaving peanuts off our debt.

“Let’s hold up our heads and be proud to be Labour.

“Let’s put our arms round the working class and make lasting change.”

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Alan Tate, of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said the winter fuel payment cut had “overshadowed” the work of the new Labour Government.

He said: “The CWU has been inundated with emails and calls from our retired members worried about choosing between heating and eating.”

From this winter, only people on pension credit or certain other benefits will receive the payments, worth up to £300, while about 10 million others are set to be stripped of the allowance.

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The Yorkshire Post has been inundated with letters from readers who voted Labour for the first time, but now feel “betrayed”.

Rachel Reeves has said it is needed to help fill the so-called £22 billion “black hole” in public finances.

The Chancellor told a fringe event: “Parliament has already voted on this a couple of weeks ago and there was overwhelming support for restricting winter fuel payments to just those pensioners on pension credit.

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“I think the reason why, in the end, MPs did vote that way is because of a recognition that the triple lock will protect pensioner incomes.”

Ms Reeves also said the new Government’s actions to promote uptake of pension credit had seen 13,000 people had applied for pension credit in the past week – a “sharp increase” on the number in the same period last year.

She said: “Because of the actions this Labour Government is taking, the poorest pensioners will not only keep their winter fuel payment but are likely to get hundreds of pounds extra every year through getting the pension credit.

“The previous Tory government, although they are now saying they care about pensioner poverty, made no effort to boost the take-up of pension credit.”

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