Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the Winter Fuel Payments vote in the House of Commons.
Keir Starmer will face a backbench rebellion today as MPs vote on his planned Winter Fuel Payment cut (Image: GETTY)
Sir Keir Starmer today faces a major Labour rebellion over plans to cut Winter Fuel Payments for most pensioners.
MPs will vote in the Commons this afternoon on the controversial policy, which would see the allowance restricted to only those on pension credit.
The Prime Minister has faced criticism from opposition parties, campaigners, unions and some Labour MPs, who have said they feel unable to vote with the Government.
Some 17 Labour backbenchers have now signed a motion put forward by Neil Duncan-Jordan calling on the Government to delay implementing the cut.
The motion has also been backed by six of the seven MPs who lost the party whip in July after voting against the King’s Speech over the Government’s refusal to abolish the two-child benefit cap.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the squeeze in July as part of a series of measures aimed at filling what she called a £22 billion black hole in the public finances which she claimed had been left by the Tories.
Labour have ‘completely rushed’ winter fuel payments axe – Stride
Shadow work and pensions sectetary Mel Stride told Times Radio: “We would not be going ahead with means testing the winter fuel payment.
“And I guess the point you might be making and it’s a fair one, of course, is there are some people who are millionaires, multimillionaires, or whatever, who clearly don’t need it.
“But the issue here is that the way the system works is that if you means test, you end up going much, much deeper than that and into millions of pensioners, actually, who are on extremely low incomes.
“And in fact, of the two thirds of the pensioners who are living below the poverty line will lose the winter fuel payment as a consequence of the measures that this Government is taking. It’s completely the wrong thing to do.
“They’ve done it at the same time as paying out to their trade union paymasters, very large wage increases, 22% over two years, junior doctors, 14% for train drivers, and above inflationary increases elsewhere.
“And this has been completely rushed. There’s no need to do this as quickly as the Government has done, other than for purely political reasons.
“And it means that the implications of this, of course, have not been properly examined in the normal way that they would be, and which is why even trade unions such as Unite has described this as picking the pockets of pensioners.”
MP warns winter fuel policy will result in pensioner deaths
Richard Burgon, who was one of seven Labour MPs who had the whip suspended earlier this year for rebelling over the two-child benefit cap, told LBC: “I think this cut will result in the deaths of pensioners who won’t be able to turn the heating on.”
He added that there was “no way” he could vote with the Government on the proposals.
He said: “I personally can’t look pensioners in my constituency in the eye… and kick them in the teeth like this.”
Burnham calls for winter fuel rethink
Andy Burnham, the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, urged the Government to reconsider its approach to axing winter fuel payments.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I also think there is a case for reform of the winter fuel allowance, I would just ask the Government not to rule out the possibility of a higher threshold, or indeed a taper of winter fuel allowance. Because our experience in Greater Manchester is that pensions are often reluctant to apply for the pension credit for a number of reasons.
“And actually, anyway, the threshold at which you get is pretty low anyway. And so I recognise how difficult the situation is and I do think there is a case, as I said, for reform, but I would ask them not to rule out putting in that possible extra help for pensioners who are right at that cliff edge.”
Minister would not guarantee that no pensioner would die of cold
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds would not guarantee that no pensioners would die of cold as a result of the Government’s plans to cut the winter fuel payment.
“No-one should die of cold in this country,” the minister told Sky News.
Repeatedly asked whether he could guarantee that not one pensioner would die of cold, Mr Reynolds said: “I can guarantee we’re doing everything we can to make sure that not only the state pension is higher and everyone is better off but that support is targeted where it needs to be.”
Reynolds insists Government has ‘no choice’ over slashing winter fuel
Asked why the policy to restrict winter fuel payments was not in the Labour election manifesto, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News the party “did not know the situation we would inherit”.
Pressed why it was pursuing the measure, he said: “We have no choice.”
It was put to him that pensioners had been given no time to prepare, to which he replied: “The nature of what we’ve inherited and the challenges that that presented required some immediate decisions.”
Minister calls on Labour MPs to back winter fuel axe
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds urged Labour MPs to back the Government’s cut to the winter fuel allowance in a vote on the plans later on Tuesday.
Speaking on Times Radio, he said: “Fixing the foundations of the country isn’t just about difficult things like this, which are decisions that ideally you wouldn’t have to make. It’s about how you get to a better future.
“And that is exactly what we’re trying to do and that is what I would ask all colleagues to recognise and support today.”
Reform MPs to vote against winter fuel cuts
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said his party’s MPs will vote against Labour’s plans to strip millions of pensioners of winter fuel payments.
In a video on X, the Clacton MP said: “So the big vote on the winter fuel allowance, let’s be clear, Reform will vote against this benefit being removed.
“Already we pay the highest energy bills in the whole of Europe, massively higher energy bills than they do in America.
“And given the plans that Ed Miliband has put forward our bills will only go up over the course of the next 10 years.
“For that reason above all, we’re going to vote against the removal of the winter fuel allowance.”
Everything we know about winter fuel payment vote
MPs will vote on controversial plans to restrict the allowance to all but the country’s poorest pensioners.
Good morning
Welcome to our live coverage of the winter fuel payments vote in the House of Commons which will take place this afternoon.
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