My column in this week's Knutsford, Northwich and Warrington Guardian:
More than 20,400 pensioners across the Tatton constituency will miss out on winter fuel payments because of cruel and callous changes being implemented by the new Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Labour made no mention of doing this during the general election and therefore have no mandate for it. For the thousands of my constituents facing losing between £200 and £300, that will be a bitter pill to swallow.
Tatton will be hit harder than many other areas in England because of our demographics (we have higher numbers of pensioners).
I’ve had many conversations with constituents in recent weeks about winter fuel payments and like MPs up and down the country have received significant numbers of letters and emails on the subject.
The reason Labour have given for taking the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners is that the government is having to tighten its belt. However, we know that to be utter rubbish, as the same time they were taking this money from pensioners, they were giving bumper pay rises to public sector workers including already highly paid train drivers. Either there is money or there is no money. There cannot be no money for pensioners but lots of money for train drivers.
So why are pensioners being sacrificed? Basically, it is because Rachel Reeves and her cabinet colleagues do not believe pensioners are core Labour voters whereas highly unionised public sector workers are - this is a cynical political decision and pensioners are being sacrificed for that reason alone. Under the Chancellor’s plans, only those in receipt of pension credit or on other means tested benefits would get the payment going forward.
During the recent Parliamentary debate, I called on government to publish the impact assessment on removing the winter fuel allowance from millions of pensions, yet nothing was forthcoming. I was not surprised days later when the government finally admitted no such assessments had been carried out and instead the focus was on getting people to apply for pension credit. To make such a change without carrying out an impact assessment is shameful.
