The expected vote on winter fuel payment cuts at the Labour Party conference has been delayed, causing outrage from the Unite trade union. Although non-binding, the vote had been expected on Monday, which was also the day Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave her conference speech to party supporters in Liverpool. However, the vote, which calls on the government to reverse cuts to the payment, could now take place on Wednesday, after many activists have left the conference. Unite’s motion also says “any public expenditure gaps” should be filled by “taxing wealth”.
Reeves said implementing the cut was not something she wanted to do, but it was one of the “difficult decisions” needed to fix the economy. She insisted there would not “be a return to austerity” and government spending would rise overall over the next four or five years. Reeves claimed only some departments may see their budgets cut and “detailed” spending would be “negotiated”. She said the “only way to sustainably fund public services is through growing the economy”.
Throughout the conference, trade unions have been pushing Reeves to reverse winter fuel payments cuts, which will cause approximately 10 million pensioners in England and Wales to lose out on around £200-£300. The motion was backed by other Labour-supporting unions, including Aslef. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham called the delay in the vote a “blatant manoeuvre to block debate on winter fuel cuts and the departure towards austerity mark two”. She added that “when this becomes widely known there will be real anger among everyday people”.
Despite disquiet among Labour MPs and opposition from other parties in Parliament, the government won its vote to implement the cuts by a majority of 120. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who is currently suspended from the parliamentary party after voting against the government in July, said going ahead with cutting winter fuel payments was “a dreadful mistake”. Labour MP Bell Ribiero-Addy stated her hopes that the chancellor would announce measures to “offset” the impact, and a U-turn on the cuts is expected
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
