The Reform MP and GB News host slapped down claims that Labour avoided a huge rebellion on the Winter Fuel vote today.
Nigel Farage has hit out at claims from Labour that their MP rebellion in today’s Winter Fuel vote amounted to a mere 12 disgruntled MPs.
Labour MPs sparked outrage today by diligently backing Rachel Reeves’ plan to rob millions of pensioners of their £300 Winter Fuel payments this Christmas.
Despite reports prior to the vote that up to 50 could rebel, in the end just one sitting Labour MP – John Trickett – actively voted with the Tories
However over 50 Labour MPs didn’t cast any vote at all, which excluding ministers who were ‘slipped’ – permitted by the whips to miss the vote – indicated that around 40 Labour MPs oppose the policy.
Following the vote, a Labour source informed journalists that only a dozen of those who failed to vote today should be counted as rebels, a claim lampooned by many.
Nigel Farage slapped down Labour’s rebellion spin (Image: GB News)
During a debate on his nightly GB News show this evening, one of Nigel Farage’s guests repeated the claim, sparking Mr Farage’s to hit back: “I don’t buy it at all!”
Jo Phillips, former press secretary to LibDem leader Paddy Ashdown, argued: “One should give credit to Keir Starmer for [making the argument that rich pensioners] don’t need it.”
“The rebels – the abstainers – there were only a dozen of them…”
Mr Farage replied: “Well I don’t buy that! I’m sorry, I don’t buy that at all.”
Former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng explained that Labour whips will have got the number of rebel MPs down by saying: “I know you’re uncomfortable about this, why don’t you be scarce”.
Ms Phillips continued by arguing: “It is not a massive rebellion… it’s all puff and wind”.
Over 40 Labour MPs failed to back the policy this afternoon (Image: Getty)
In a monologue at the start of this evening’s show, Mr Farage told viewers: “We’re told, of course, that this is all about plugging the black hole of £22 billion that Labour say they found, although rather more cynically I’d say the black hole is actually £2.7 trillion, which is the size of the national debt!”
“Some of the response to this has been pretty extraordinary, and one of my constituents who’s spoken out really strongly on this is Jim O’Dwyer.
“He’s 99 years old and did 31 missions in a Lancaster Bomber in WW2, and the reason he won’t get the Winter Fuel Allowance is because he has a very very small private pension that comes in.
“Jim O’Dwyer’s very clear about it, he says ‘this is disgusting, after all I’ve done for the country why am I being treated this way?’
“Now of course there are wealthy pensioners that were getting the winter fuel allowance, but quite why we couldn’t pick up the idea that Lord Cameron pushed yesterday that we just don’t give the allowance to those paying 40p tax or more I just don’t know.
“I wonder folks at home, is this Labour’s great folly?”
All five Reform UK MPs voted to oppose the Winter Fuel Cuts this afternoon.
