Conservatives Force Labour U-turn on Winter Fuel Payments Vote

Labour has been dragged to the House of Commons by the Conservatives to hold a vote on their cruel decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment for 10 million pensioners. 

After days of refusing a vote the Leader of the House of Commons has confirmed that next Tuesday there will be a vote in the House of Comms on Winter Fuel Payments. The motion that forced this u–turn was tabled by the Leader of the Conservative Party, Conservative Party Shadow Chancellor and Opposition Chief Whip.  

Mel Stride MP, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said:  

“We welcome that the Labour Government have u-turned and there will now be a vote on the Conservative motion to scrap the cruel cut to Winter Fuel Payments.  

“Labour thinks it is right to give their union paymasters an inflation-busting pay rise over protecting vulnerable pensioners, just as bills are going up. This tells you everything you need to know about the Government's values. 

“Labour still wants to stop this vital support for the most vulnerable pensioners, but we would urge all MPs to do the right thing and back this Conservative motion to stop this punishing cut.” 

ENDS 

Notes to Editors 

The Conservatives called for a vote in Parliament over the summer by tabling a motion to annul the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024: 

• The Conservative Party tabled a motion to annul the Winter Fuel Payments Regulations on 23 August 2024. The Conservative Party submitted this motion: ‘That a humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 148), dated 22 August, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 August, be annulled' (The Evening Standard, 23 August 2024, link; Hansard, Early Day Motion 112, 2 September 2024, link). 

Labour had previously said they would not hold a vote on their decision to cut Winter Fuel Payments: 

• A Government source confirmed said Labour will not hold a parliamentary debate or vote on their cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners. In response to calls from the Conservative Party to hold a parliamentary debate and vote on the Labour Government's plans to cut the Winter Fuel Payment for 10 million pensioners, a government source told The Daily Mail: ‘We are not going to do that' (The Daily Mail, 2 September 2024, link). 

• On 3 September, John Healey said there will not be a vote on the regulations to scrap Winter Fuel Payments. STUDIO: ‘While you're with us this morning, Mr. Healey, can we just ask you about a subject which we get messages from our viewers about every single morning, about your decision to scrap the winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners in the weeks ahead, we understand there's still no plan to have a vote on that, a debate on that in the House of Commons. Why not?' HEALEY: ‘What you'll see next month when the chancellor introduces the budget, you'll see votes in the normal way, then that will be an opportunity for the House of Commons to vote on a range of measures that the government will have to take' (BBC Breakfast, 3 September 2024, archived). 

But today after several weeks of speculation the Leader of the House has today confirmed a vote would take place.  

Labour have decided to cut Winter Fuel Payments despite giving trade unions an enormous pay rise:  

• Rachel Reeves has said Labour will scrap the Winter Fuel Payment for 10 million pensioners, abandoning Labour's election pledge within weeks of entering government. The Chancellor confirmed that Labour will means-test the Winter Fuel Payment, limiting it to those in receipt of Pension Credit and certain other means-tested benefits from winter 2024-25 (HM Treasury, Public Spending Audit 2024-25, p.10, 29 July 2024, link; BBC News, 10 August 2024, link). 

• At the same time Labour's ‘no-strings' pay deals with unions will cost £14 billion. ‘Keir Starmer's capitulation to his union paymasters' wage demands will leave Britain with a £14 billion bill – much of it met by taxpayers' (The Daily Mail, 17 August 2024, link; The Daily Express, 22 August 2024, link). 

• Train drivers were offered a 14 per cent pay increase as a reward for their industrial action. The ‘no-strings' above inflation pay deal will see the average driver's salary rise from £60,000 to just under £70,000 (The Daily Telegraph, 14 August 2024, link). 

• Junior doctors were offered a 22 per cent pay increase as a reward for their industrial action. The British Medical Association were offered a 22 per cent pay increase for junior doctors on the very same day they announced the Winter Fuel Payment cuts (The Daily Mail, 29 July 2024, link).