Labor delegates support union motion to repeal cuts to winter fuel assistance
According to government figures, the number of recipients of Winter Fuel Payments in winter 2023–24 was 11.6 million, spread across 8.5 million households.
During the Labour Party Conference, delegates supported a union motion urging the new government to reverse its decision to reduce Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners.
While the vote is not binding and ministers have indicated that the policy will not change, it reflects the strong opposition to the plans, particularly from the trade union movement, with which the party has historical connections.
“This is not what people voted for. It is the wrong decision and needs to be reversed.
“Friends, we are the sixth richest economy in the world. We have the money. Britain needs investment, not austerity round two. Shaving off peanuts from our debt won’t earn us any gold stars.”
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, responded to the vote by saying: “The Labour Conference has recognized what ministers have failed to acknowledge, that withdrawing the Winter Fuel Payment abruptly from so many people, jeopardizes pensioners’ ability to heat their homes this winter and in turn, their health and well-being.”
11.6 Million Received Allowance
Starting this winter, only individuals receiving Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits will receive these payments, estimated to be worth up to £300 this year.
Ministers have been defending the cuts for weeks, arguing that they are necessary to stabilize the economy.
The government’s defense of these measures continued during the conference, with Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall stating earlier on Wednesday that “this was not a decision we wanted or expected to make.”
Kendall further expressed that “this Labour government has done more to support the most vulnerable pensioners in the last two months than the Tories did in 14 years.”
The secretary of state highlighted that her government had undertaken the largest-ever initiative to increase Pension Credit uptake, supported by Labour’s commitment to the pensions triple lock, which is projected to raise the state pension by around £1,700 over the course of this Parliament.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham speaks during the Labour Party Conference at the ACC Liverpool in England on Sept. 25, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
‘War on Pensioners’
The charity Age UK has condemned the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance, labeling it as “irresponsible and unjust,” and arguing that the decision was made with “virtually no warning and no compensatory strategies to safeguard poor and at-risk pensioners.”
The pension consultancy firm Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP) also cautioned that up to 1.6 million pensioners living below the unofficial poverty line—defined as a household income below 60 percent of the national average—could be impacted.
The pension specialists suggested that the high number could be due to eligible individuals not applying for it, with the DWP approximating that there could be around 800,000 pensioners in this situation.
Another reason might be that while these seniors may have sufficient funds to cover basic living expenses, they may also have additional costs such as mortgages and rent, which, if paid from their primary income, could push them below the poverty line.
LCP warned that restricting pensions to only those on Pension Credit could lead to the “vast majority of pensioners below the poverty line losing out.”
Tory Chairman Richard Fuller accused Labour of declaring a “war on pensioners.”
“People who have spent their entire lives working and doing the right thing deserve respect and security in retirement instead of being abandoned by this Labour government,” Fuller remarked.
PA Media contributed to this report.
