Labour are in a state of blind panic. It was always clear that this was a cruel and vindictive policy. Last week I wrote in these pages that Chancellor Rachel Reeves had a chance to set the record straight, make up for her mistake and fully reinstate the winter fuel allowance. Whilst she has not gone all the way, this embarrassing u-turn from the government is a major victory for the Daily Express and all of us who stood up for pensioners.
Britain has some of the most expensive energy costs in the world, directly resulting from Westminster’s fanatical embrace of net zero. Ed Miliband told us bills would decrease by £300, but the opposite has happened. Starmer’s government can find £15bn to spend on housing illegal migrants and billions more for their Chagos surrender.
So why should those who have paid into the system their entire lives have their winter fuel allowance taken away? This is not the first time a Daily Express crusade has resulted in a stunning victory, and I congratulate this newspaper and its readers on yet another successful campaign. Many pensioners, including my constituents in Clacton who served this country in World War II, will be very pleased with this announcement.
I am proud to have played my part in this decision, having called on the Prime Minister to change his mind on the front page just last Thursday.
I also helped deliver a petition to Number 10 Downing Street with over 100,000 signatures seven months ago.
There is no doubt in my mind that the government would not have U-turned on this issue without the pressure that Reform UK has applied, not only through its campaigning on this matter — but also at the ballot box.