Rachel Reeves must come clean on winter fuel now, not the autumn (Image: Getty)
Rachel Reeves has been told she must not betray pensioners again by leaving them in the dark about who will have winter fuel payments restored. The Chancellor will deliver her long-awaited Spending Review this Wednesday, in which she will reveal which government departments will receive spending boosts and which budgets will be squeezed.
Labour has insisted they will only outline the details of their winter fuel payment u-turn at the Autumn budget, but are facing demands to put an end to months of uncertainty now.
Conservative Work and Pensions spokesman Helen Whatley blasted: “Labour has treated the nation’s pensioners with contempt. It is a disgrace. After people who have worked hard all their lives were forced to choose between heating and eating last winter, and Kemi forced a partial u-turn on winter fuel, pensioners now urgently need clarity.
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“It’s too late to apologise for those left out in the cold last winter. They must not now leave pensioners facing a summer of uncertainty.”
Former Home Secretary and Attorney General Suella Braverman MP told the Express: “Labour has already betrayed our pensioners and must not do so again.
“Pensioners have paid into the system and deserve clarity rather than more abject failure and uncertainty.”
The calls emerged as Cabinet Minister Peter Kyle suggested older Britons will be waiting months before discovering whether they will receive the key financial lifeline this Christmas.
Speaking on Sky News, the Science and Technology Secretary argued that the spending review is “going to set the overall spending constraints for government for the next three years, so you’re talking about two separate issues at the moment”.
“I think what you’re going to see is the overall spending constraints and allowances for each government department.
“Then each government department’s going to start talking about how it’s going to allocate [those resources].”
Minister Peter Kyle insisted no answers will be forthcoming this week (Image: Getty)
However he was rebuffed by Labour MP Rachel Maskell, who told this paper: “It’s absolutely crucial we get this right.
“We need to know how the Chancellor is going to enable all those in fuel poverty to get access to the Winter Fuel Payments. We know that around 750,000 people who are eligible currently don’t claim and that’s simply not good enough in having a means-tested scheme that people can’t get access to.
“Changing the eligibility will not be enough. We need to ensure that it reaches the pockets of all those who need it to keep warm this winter.
“It’s absolutely crucial that we get this right. Of course, we all understand that people with huge means don’t depend on it, but we really need to ensure that no one misses out who should have it.”
Ahead of planned protests in Westminster today [MON], Mr Kyle insisted that the Chancellor will stick to her fiscal rules this Wednesday and not borrow cash to avoid squeezing funding for key departments like housing and the police.
Union activists and pensioners will picket outside the Downing Street gates, as Unite general secretary Sharon Graham demanded full reinstatement of winter fuel payments.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell said the Chancellor must confirm full restoration of winter fuel (Image: Getty)
Nearly a quarter of a million Britons have now signed petitions calling for the full restoration of Winter Fuel Payments with no strings attached, mounting pressure on the Chancellor not to just change the threshold.
230,000 voters have added their voice to two separate petitions on 38 Degrees and Change.org, with Silver Voices director Dennis Reed telling members the Winter Fuel is the most important issue for the Chancellor to address this Wednesday.
He told members: “The most important issue for the Chancellor to clarify on Wednesday is that the universal benefit will be restored, so that the payment is made automatically to all pensioners.
“We can argue later about the practicalities and fairness of any proposed tax clawback, but it is essential that the payment gets to everyone who needs it this winter. There must no longer be the necessity for older people to claim this benefit through a complex and intrusive benefits application process.
“Expectations have been raised, there is massive public support for a full U-Turn, and the Chancellor must not disappoint. She must confirm the return of the universal payment in time for this winter.”
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson added: “The full reinstatement of the winter fuel allowance is the bare minimum our elderly should be receiving after working and paying into the system their whole lives. The fact Rachel Reeves won’t commit to universal payments shows how misplaced her priorities are.”
LibDem welfare spokesman Steve Darling MP said: “The heartless decision to cut winter fuel payments caused misery for all the pensioners who were left in the cold last winter. Millions will now be anxiously waiting for clarity from the Government over the reinstatement of the payment, and leaving them in the dark is simply cruel.
“It’s time the Government apologised for the harm caused by this senseless cut, and came forward with the details to put pensioners’ minds at ease.”
Polling published by Lord Ashcroft today suggested that just 21% of voters agree with Labour’s cut to Winter Fuel payments last year, though they are split over who should receive it.
40% said Ms Reeves should bring it back for more pensioners, but not for everyone, while 30% want it restored for all pensioners regardless of income.
In a rare piece of good news, the poll showed that 40% of voters believe Labour’s U-turn is a positive move that “shows they have listened and learned”, compared to 30% who believe it shows Labour is “too weak to make a decision and stick to it”.