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Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Sir Keir Starmer is bracing for a rebellion over his government’s cut to the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners, as he was stung by Labour own research from 2017 warning the move could cause nearly 4,000 excess deaths.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves plans to axe the payment of up to £300 for all pensioners except those in receipt of those claiming pension credit or other means-tested benefits, in a move which will directly hit 10 million people.
Dozens of Labour MPs are expected to abstain in Tuesday’s vote, after seven had the whip removed for voting against the the two-child benefit cap, amid fears that cutting the allowance will cost lives and leave people requiring hospital care.
In an embarrasment for Sir Keir, it emerged that Labour had warned in 2017 that Theresa May’s manifesto pledge to make the same cut would cause 3,850 excess deaths.
Citing their plans to cut winter fuel payments and the infamous “dementia tax”, which by then had been watered down, Labour had warned that re-electing the Tories on such a platform would “represent the single biggest attack on pensioners in a generation”.
Key Points
- ‘Up to 50 Labour MPs' could rebel in vote on winter fuel payments
- Winter fuel payment cut will put pensioners in hospital, Labour MPs fear
- Keir Starmer says he will ‘have to be unpopular’ amid backlash
Former pensions minister urges government to U-turn on cut to winter fuel payments
Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann has urged the government to U-turn on planned cuts to winter fuel payments, claiming it may not be aware of the extent of poverty among pensioners, our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports.
She suggested the changes should have come in from 2025 to allow time to find mitigation measures.
Baroness Altmann told Times Radio, if these regulations had come into force from 2025, "I don't think there would be this kind of furore because everybody would feel there is some time now to find mitigation measures, maybe to take it away from particular income groups, maybe to extend the means test threshold to include more pensioners who otherwise will be left out.”
She added: “The government, I wish, would recognise there’s no shame in saying we got this one a little bit wrong, we’re just going to pause and take time to do it properly.”
The former pensions minister also said the government may not be aware of the extent of poverty among pensioners, warning that the one to two million people slightly above the means test threshold “are poorer than those on pension credit and there is no mitigation for them”.
She said: “The chancellor and the prime minister may not be aware of just how there are so many poor pensioners in this country and are focusing perhaps just on those who are very well off.”
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 11:44 1725877185Treasury sources ‘deny government looking at ways to mitigate’ winter fuel payment cut
Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson earlier told the BBC that the government wass working to ensure all pensioners who were entitled to pension credit claimed the benefit, adding that she was “sure” other mitigations were being looked at by ministers.
However, Treasury sources told the PA news agency that Dame Diana “misspoke” in suggesting the government was looking at doing more than encouraging further take-up of pension credit.
It came as the i newspaper reported that officials had been exploring plans in recent days for a “social tariff” to help lower-income households with their energy bills.
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 11:19 1725876311Minister says they will ‘reluctantly’ vote for winter fuel payment cut
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has told ITV she will “reluctantly” vote for the government’s winter fuel allowance cut, but emphasised that it was “a difficult decision”.
Tories previously claimed Labour’s warning of 4,000 excess deaths was 'scaremongering’
Here is The Independent’s report from 2017 on Labour’s pre-election warning that Tory plans to make the cut announced seven years later by chancellor Rachel Reeves would lead to nearly 4,000 excess deaths.
At the time, Tory work and pensions secretary Damian Green had hit back that the figures were “irresponsible scaremongering by Jeremy Corbyn”.
Labour says Tory winter allowance policy will kill 4,000 pensioners this winter
Winter fuel payments have cut pensioner deaths by 10,000 a year since 2000, a figure that new analysis suggests could go back up
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 11:02 1725874365Cut to winter fuel payment could kill 4,000 people, Labour’s own research suggests
Thousands of pensioners could die if the government proceeds with its plan to cut winter fuel payments for those not on benefits, Labour’s own research suggested.
Analysis published in 2017, when Sir Keir Starmer was in the Shadow Cabinet, warned that Conservative plans to cut the fuel allowance for ten million pensioners would increase excess deaths by 3,850 that winter.
The proposal, put forward by Theresa May’s government, was dubbed by Labour at the time as the “single biggest attack on pensioners in a generation in our country”.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full report:
Winter fuel payment cut could kill 4,000 people, Labour’s own research suggests
Analysis published by Labour in 2017 said plans to means test winter fuel payments would be the ‘single biggest attack on pensioners in a generation’
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 10:32 1725873705Corbyn accuses Starmer of ‘choosing to push more pensioners into poverty'
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “choosing to push more pensioners into poverty”.
Mr Corbyn, who spent 41 years as a Labour MP until he was expelled from the party by Sir Keir, said: “The government says they have no choice but to cut winter fuel allowance. That is a lie. They could bring in wealth taxes as a start. Instead, they are choosing to push more pensioners into poverty.”
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 10:21 1725872877Government ‘considering social tariff’ for energy costs
Households on lower incomes could pay less for energy under plans for a “social tariff” reportedly being considered by ministers, amid concerns over plans to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.
Among several options being explored by the government is a social tariff, similar to those for cheaper mobile phone packages and which would effectively act as a discount for families on lower incomes, according to the i newspaper.
Sources told the outlet that the proposal was discussed at a meeting chaired by consumer energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh with charities and energy companies last month, and there have been further talks in recent days, with a second summit expected before the end of the month.
To be eligible for social tariffs for mobile phones, customers must be in receipt of universal credit or other benefits. Rachel Reeves is cutting the winter fuel allowance for all pensioners except those in receipt of pension credit and other benefits. Research from Age UK shows that around 800,000 pensioners are missing out on pension credit.
Ministers are also looking at potentially extending the warm home discount in both sum and eligibility, and has told energy suppliers that they must “play their part” in supporting households at risk of going into debt due to the high cost of bills, i reported.
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 10:07 1725871965TUC chief urges Rachel Reeves to use Budget to set out more support for pensioners
The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress has raised concerns about the government’s plans to cut the winter fuel allowance.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Monday, Paul Nowak said: “I’ve got real concerns about the cuts to winter fuel allowance because I don’t want any pensioner going into this winter worried about putting the heating on.
“That’s why I hope in the Budget the Chancellor will set out the support that she’ll make available to those pensioners who ... aren’t well off by any means. To make sure that they’re not frightened to use the heating this winter.
“But I think it’s fair to say the chancellor’s got a huge range of challenges. She’s been bequeathed a toxic economic legacy by the previous government. There’s lots of things that she needs to fix. The state of our public services, the fact that we’ve got a universal credit system that’s not fit for purpose.
“But as I say I hope in the Budget she’ll set out the support, not just for pensioners, but for those on low pay, those who are in receipt of things like sickness allowance. I think it’s really important that she looks at all of those things.”
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 09:52 1725871519Government minister ‘not surprised’ by concern over winter fuel payment cut
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said she was “not surprised” at the reaction to the government’s decision to means test winter fuel payments.
Dame Diana told the BBC: “I understand for many MPs this is a really hard decision. I myself have had lots of constituents contact me, so I know how difficult this is.”
Asked if she was surprised by the reaction, she said: “No, I’m not surprised by the amount of concern that there is about this, and obviously we do not want to see anyone struggling with energy bills, particularly pensioners.
“The winter fuel allowance, we know is not a targeted benefit at the moment but it’s going to be targeted and that’s why it’s so important that the poorest pensioners are getting everything they’re entitled to to support them.”
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 09:45 1725869880Labour MP warns Starmer there can be ‘no excuse’ for failing to tackle Britain’s ‘obscene’ inequality
Labour MP Jon Trickett, who is among the 12 MPs to sign the early day motion opposing the winter fuel payment cut, has warned Sir Keir Starmer there can be “no excuse at all” for failing to tackle the “obscene” maldistribution of wealth in Britain.
In an opinion piece on the LabourList website, Mr Trickett wrote: “In the fifth most wealthy country in the world there can be no excuse at all for the scale of difficulties faced by working people. The answer surely lies in tackling the gross and indeed obscene maldistribution of Britain’s wealth.
“With a huge parliamentary majority and demoralized and disorientated opposition. There can therefore be no excuse at all, none whatsoever, for our government to fail to deliver social justice and emancipate the poor; our pensioners, our children, our disabled, and our exploited working people. Arguing that a wealth tax alone could raise £100bn over the course of a parliament, he added: “The only thing which might inhibit us is if our leaders fail to seize the moment out of timidity, lack of a clear strategy or simply complacent drift.”
Andy Gregory9 September 2024 09:18 Newer1 / 2OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
