No 10 resists Labour calls for winter fuel rethink

2 months ago 29
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Paul Seddon

Political reporter

Henry Zeffman

Chief governmental correspondent

Johner Images/Getty Images Senior mates  utilizing laptop astatine  location  Johner Images/Getty Images

The authorities has insisted it volition not reverse cuts to wintertime substance payments, contempt increasing calls wrong Labour ranks for a rethink connected the policy.

Calls wrong the enactment for the cuts to beryllium abandoned person grown louder successful the aftermath of losses astatine past week's section elections successful England.

But Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson told reporters determination "will not beryllium a alteration to the government's policy".

He insisted past year's determination to restrict eligibility for the yearly payments was required to "ensure economical stableness and repair the nationalist finances".

It comes aft the Guardian reported ministers were considering softening the effect of the cuts aboriginal this year.

Speaking to the BBC earlier, Health Secretary Wes Streeting insisted the wintertime substance argumentation was not being formally reviewed.

But helium added ministers were "reflecting connected what the voters told us" astatine past week's elections, wherever Labour mislaid astir two-thirds of the assembly seats it was defending.

Streeting acknowledged galore voters "aren't happy" with the cuts.

Labour Welsh First Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan called connected the UK authorities to "rethink" the argumentation successful a speech connected Tuesday, adding it "comes up clip and again" with voters.

The wintertime substance outgo is simply a lump-sum magnitude of £200 a twelvemonth for pensioners nether 80, expanding to £300 for over-80s, paid successful November oregon December.

Last year, the authorities restricted the payments to those who suffice for pension recognition and different income-related benefits, successful a bid prevention £1.4bn.

The move, which did not diagnostic successful Labour's wide predetermination manifesto, means astir 9 cardinal pensioners volition nary longer suffice for the top-up.

It has been seen arsenic a cardinal contented astatine past week's section elections, astatine which Labour mislaid 187 assembly seats and power of the lone assembly it was defending.

'Totemic' issue

The Guardian has reported ministers are considering raising the effectual £11,500 net threshold to proceed qualifying for the payment.

Some Labour MPs judge reversing the argumentation would supply the premier curate with a wide mode to amusement the nationalist helium "gets it" - arsenic helium said said past week aft the section predetermination results came in.

But others person to authorities reasoning question whether determination would beryllium immoderate governmental payment to changing people astatine this stage, believing the governmental harm has already been done.

Former furniture curate Louise Haigh, who resigned past year, has deed retired astatine the wintertime substance cuts, adding that they had go a "totemic" contented for galore voters.

Writing successful the Sunday Times implicit the weekend, she argued that wintertime substance and projected benefits cuts were "primary examples offered arsenic to wherefore the Labour authorities simply did not look similar it understood their priorities".

The determination has besides been opposed by unions and the main absorption parties.

Winter substance payments were an contented connected the doorstep, says Streeting

Speaking to the BBC earlier, Streeting said helium would not beryllium "pretending that wintertime substance didn't travel up connected the doorstep, of people it did".

"I cognize that radical aren't blessed astir the wintertime substance allowance successful tons of cases," helium said.

"We did support it for the poorest pensioners, but determination are a batch of radical saying they disagree with it regardless."

However, helium besides defended the determination arsenic portion of a wider bundle of changes, that would supply the "means of raising the investment" successful nationalist services.

"Unfortunately erstwhile you look crossed the committee astatine the breadth and extent of the aggregate crises that we've inherited, successful bid to present the alteration that radical voted for we person had to bash dense lifting astatine the Budget," helium added.

But Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said the government's determination to regularisation retired a alteration was a "tone deaf response" to past week's polls.

Triple lock

The wintertime substance outgo was introduced successful 1997 by New Labour arsenic a cosmopolitan outgo for each pensioners.

It was billed arsenic a mode to warrant they would beryllium capable to wage for accrued heating costs implicit the wintertime - though successful signifier it is simply a pension top-up, which recipients tin walk connected immoderate they want.

From 2010 onwards, the authorities pension gained further extortion nether the "triple lock" policy - nether which pensions spell up each twelvemonth by the highest of inflation, mean net oregon 2.5%.

Last twelvemonth the authorities pension went up by 8.5%, an yearly emergence of £691.60 for those connected the afloat basal authorities pension oregon £902.20 for those connected the afloat caller authorities pension.

This twelvemonth authorities pensions are going up by 4.1% - a emergence of £363 a twelvemonth for those connected the basal pension oregon £472 for those connected the caller pension.

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