Nigel Farage demands Labour stop winter fuel axe and ‘end war on pensioners’

His Clacton constituency had the highest number of winter fuel payment recipients in 2023/24 at 30,109 people.

But now just 3,715 people – just over 10% of Clacton’s recipients of winter fuel payment last year – will continue to receive it.

The Reform UK leader said: “Labour must end its war on pensioners and put the British people first, and quickly.

“One of those affected in Clacton is Jim O’Dwyer, a brave 99-year-old WWII hero. Jim flew 31 missions as a rear gunner on a Lancaster Bomber.

“He is one of the many thousands in my constituency who will be stripped of the allowance, in his case because he has a small pension.

“I am absolutely furious that he has been treated this way. Is this really how we should repay those who served our country? I think not.”

Mr O’Dwyer, one of the last living Lancaster bomber pilots, flew 31 missions as a rear bomber.

But the veteran will have vital heating payments hoisted off him because he just misses out on being eligible for pension credit.

He said: “We pay in all our lives and this small perk is cut. It is absolutely disgusting what this government is doing and treating us after all we have done for our country.”

Arundel and South Downs is another Parliamentary constituency that is among the worst impacted by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir’s decision.

At least 26,991 people received the winter fuel payment there in 2023/24 but only 1,618 were on pension credit meaning 25,373 people will miss out on up to £300 this winter.

Andrew Griffith, Tory MP for Arundel and South Downs, said: “The Government’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment is shameful – especially given Labour themselves said that a cut to the payment would lead to untimely deaths come winter.

“The cut also comes at a time when energy costs are rising, despite the fact the Chancellor said that a new Labour Government would cut the cost of energy.

“People in the South Downs are rightly angry about this — and apparently so are Labour’s own members.”

The Prime Minister lost a showdown with Labour’s union paymasters at the party’s conference in Liverpool this week when delegates voted to reverse the Chancellor’s decision.

Cross-party MPs, campaigners, pensioners have called for the Government to do a U-turn at the budget on October 30.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay MP said: “I have had residents contact me who are deeply concerned about the winter fuel payment being cut.

“I am shocked that the government is pressing ahead with this totally unnecessary and cruel decision that is going to affect a lot of pensioners who are on very low income, including people just on state pension.

“I would very much like Sir Keir Starmer to reverse and rethink this. Indeed their own conference has called on them to do so. I hope they will. I know politicians tend to dig in when they are challenged but actually the mature thing to do is to listen to the evidence being presented to you.”

Winter fuel payments were previously available to everyone above state pension age.

But older people will now only receive the cash if they get pension credit.

The Treasury said the winter fuel changes would see the number of pensioners receiving the payments plummet from 11.4 million to 1.5 million.

Caroline Abrahams CBE, charity director of Age UK said: “Through our ongoing petition, we’re hearing very worrying comments about how older people are frightened for the months ahead and plan to ration their heating this winter because they’ve lost their Winter Fuel Payment.

“This is deeply concerning for us to hear because we know that living in a cold home is bad for older people’s health, especially if they are frail or are living with lung or heart conditions. The consequences for them could be severe and we’re sure that we’ll see more older people going to hospital this winter as a result – the last thing they or the NHS needs.”

Two pensioners are seeking to take the Scottish and UK governments to court over the cut to the winter fuel payment.

Peter and Florence Fanning, of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, have raised proceedings with the help of the Govan Law Centre against the Scottish Government and the UK Work and Pensions Secretary over the policy.

Sir Keir said he and his ministers had made “a difficult decision, taken because the last government left a £22 billion black hole”.

He said: “£22 billion is a huge amount of money to find in one year. This is the black hole: the money they left off the books, didn’t declare to the country.

“That has to be done, and it has to be done this year, so there’s no easy choice within that.”

The Prime Minister added: “I don’t think for public services, we can take more money out of them. They’re already on their knees, so it’s difficult choices, but the purpose behind this, the reason that we’ve done this, is to stabilise the economy.”