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Millions of pensioners have had their winter fuel payments withdrawn by the government, a move that has been criticized by trade union bosses who have said it was the “wrong choice.” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was forced to defend his decision to remove winter fuel payments from most pensioners at the TUC’s annual conference in Brighton. The payments of between £200 and £300 a year were paid to over 10 million pensioners, but were axed for all but the poorest by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in July. Critics have expressed concern about the welfare of pensioners in the upcoming winter months.
Unite’s Sharon Graham has been critical of Sir Keir, and suggested that the government was “leaving the very rich and wealthy untouched” and that a wealth tax should be introduced to boost government finances instead. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said he was “really concerned” by the impact of means testing winter fuel payments, but stopped short of calling on the chancellor to reverse her decision. From this autumn, those not on pension credit or other means-tested benefits will no longer receive the winter fuel payments, and there are fears that some pensioners who are not eligible for pensioners’ tax credit, but who are not well off, will be hit.
Fran Heathcote, the general secretary of the PCS Union, raised the possibility of industrial action over government cuts. She said that if the government continues along the line that they’re heading with, not just winter fuel payments but with social security and benefits more generally, there will be a real backlash, and that could take the form of industrial action if workers decide to support the action because lots of unions represent low-paid workers.
Sir Keir has said that he was determined to deliver change and make urgent decisions around government spending. He has also suggested that the cut was necessary because of the state of the country’s finances, accusing previous governments of avoiding confronting the cost of the support. The chancellor’s decision only covers England and Wales, while the Scottish government has also said it would end pensioners’ universal entitlement to the payment. The benefit is separate from other support such as Cold Weather Payments, and the Warm Home Discount scheme
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