Winter Fuel Payment: government facing rebellion as 10 Labour MPs sign motion against cut

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the payment would only be made to those on pension credit, blaming a £22 billion so-called “black hole” in public finances.

Previously all 11.4 million pensioners had received payments of up to £300 to help with winter energy bills, however by means testing it in this way the number has reduced to just 1.3 million.

The Government has committed to a vote on the measures on Tuesday, however a number of Labour MPs have indicated they may rebel.

Of the 10 who have signed up to the Early Day Motion, two are from Yorkshire - York Central’s Rachael Maskell and Normanton and Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett.

Former Labour MP for Leeds East Richard Burgon, who has had the whip suspended for six months for rebelling over the two-child benefit cap, has also signed the motion.

It says: “This approach fails to take account for those people with modest incomes that are just above the entitlement threshold for Pension Credit.”

Ms Maskell has said she couldn’t vote for the cut, explaining: “This is bigger than a vote because this is about protecting people’s lives and ultimately that is our responsibility as MPs, to speak to truth to power.”

The government appears to have set a precedent for whipping such votes, with the six month suspensions for MPs over the two-child benefit cap.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the Government would not “play fast and loose” with the nation’s finances as she defended the decision to means test the payments.

She told BBC: “We have to make sure that we can fiscally be responsible, so that we can grow our economy, so that we can pay for our public services.

“We were very clear in the run-up to the general election, we wouldn’t play fast and loose with the country’s finances because that’s what the Tories did, and that’s why we’re in this mess in the first place, and that we will do everything we can to grow our economy.”

She highlighted Government action to support pensioners and acknowledged it was a “difficult choice” but it was because of the “difficult circumstances because of the previous government and what they did”.