LABOUR – at least the UK lot – have been at pains to ensure everyone knows they never wanted to cut the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners.
Just have a look at what Keir Starmer said in the Rose Garden on Tuesday, when he warned his government would bring in austerity. Sorry, not that. A “painful” Budget that is austere.
“I didn’t want to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment,” Starmer told the UK. “But it was a choice we had to take.”
Or look at what Chancellor Rachel Reeves said as she announced the cut in the first instance.
“I am making the difficult decision that those not in receipt of pension credit or certain other means-tested benefits will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Payment …
“Let me be clear: this is not a decision I wanted to make, nor is it the one that I expected to make.”
Except, a newly unearthed clip has shown Reeves – ten years ago and firmly on the opposition benches – arguing for the Winter Fuel Payment to be cut back.
Rachel Reeves has repeatedly said she didn't want to cut the universal winter fuel allowance for pensioners but it was a tough decision forced on her because of the financial black hole left by the last govt Here's Reeves 10 years ago: pic.twitter.com/1BAIL4racv
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) August 28, 2024
In a video shared on social media by Saul Staniforth, Reeves said: “We are the party who have said that we would cut the winter fuel allowance for the richest pensioners.
“We're the party that said we would means-test that benefit to save money, something which on the other side of the house you haven't supported.
“So the reality is we're the party who are willing to take tough decisions.”
It’s unfortunate for Reeves that everything said in the UK parliament is dutifully recorded by Hansard, or people might have been led into believing she actually didn’t plan to cut the Winter Fuel Payment.
For once, it seems Scottish Labour group leader Anas Sarwar is the one telling the honest truth.
While his London bosses who actually cut the Winter Fuel Payment have gone around insisting they never wanted to do any such thing, Sarwar has openly and repeatedly said he supports the move.
The Scottish Labour MSP even went so far as to describe the cut as an “opportunity” for Scotland.
If Sarwar does manage to become first minister after 2026 – as many Unionist commentators are breathlessly repeating he will – just imagine what more “opportunities” Labour have in store for shivering Scots.
