The Succession star tore into the Government’s plan on Laura Kuenssberg’s show this morning.
Brian Cox blasts Labour over Winter Fuel payment cut
Acting legend Brian Cox became the latest high-profile figure to condemn Rachel Reeves’ planned cuts to Winter Fuel Payments, tearing into the decision this morning.
Appearing on Laura Kuenssberg’s Sunday interview show, the Succession star demanded that the Chancellor “look at the reality”.
The intervention came as a new poll from YouGov found that one in three Britons see the cuts as the “single worst thing Labour have done in their first 100 days”, with a majority remaining opposed to the policy.
Mr Cox argued: “There are elderly people who can afford it and elderly people who can’t afford it.”
“When you make a bland pass of that it undermines the situation because you’re not actually looking at the reality, and the reality is there are people who can afford to forgo Winter Fuel payment.
Brian Cox criticised the Government’s decision (Image: BBC)
“But there are a lot of people, I don’t know what proportion, who can’t afford it, and they have to be considered.”
He was joined by Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper who decried it as the “wrong decision” and demanded Labour “think again”.
She pointed out that Age UK think there are 2 million vulnerable pensioners who are going to lose out.
Ms Cooper added: “Labour could either reinstate the Winter Fuel Allowance and make it taxable, or they could raise pension credit, but ultimately I think some of the statistics show that if everybody who was entitled to pension credit actually took it up it might actually cost even more.”
“I think this has been done in a very clumsy way, it’s wrong and we still urge the Labour Government to protect the most vulnerable.”
Mr Cox criticised Rachel Reeves’ policy (Image: Getty)
Phones4U multi-billionaire John Caudwell disagreed, saying he backs the Government’s decision to strip winter fuel allowance from millions.
A new poll this morning from YouGov found that 34% of all Britons think Labour’s pensioner attack is the single worst thing they’ve done in their first 100 days in office.
That rises to a whopping 52% of 2024 Tory voters and 42% of 2024 Reform UK voters.
It easily beat the Labour freebies scandal surrounding donations of clothes, glasses and event tickets that made weeks of headlines, which won 7% backing for the worst thing Labour has done since the election.
In third place came “everything”, which 4% backed.
Britons similarly hate the policy according to a new YouGov poll (Image: YouGov)
By contrast when asked what the single best thing Labour has done since coming to power, Britons put “nothing yet/only negative” in top place with 43%.
Even 2024 Labour voters agreed with this, with 22% putting it in the top spot.
Overall a majority of voters disapprove of Labour’s Winter Fuel decision, with 55% saying it was wrong.
It came just behind the early release of prisoners, which 68% of respondents said was the wrong policy.
