Rachel Reeves has announced that winter fuel payments will only be paid to those on Pension Credit.nsion Credit

Merion

A 28-page research paper commisioned by the Tory party in 2019 when Johnson was PM and which gave three options for change but were not acted upon is not an apology for Labour.

Do stop with your tiresome, repetitive anti-immigration rants and read the paper. These measures had been discussed for years before that before any small boats arrivals. The two are unconnected.

I'm fairly confident that the idea of removing the WFA from pensioners other than those on pension credit was one that was or would have been considered by the last Tory government.

That research paper is not rubbish - it exists, and it was commissioned by them.

The Tories have always wanted to make 'savings' in public expenditure because they believe in a 'small state'. If anyone really believes that this would never have happened under a Conservative government, I think they are mistaken. They have already, via fiscal drag, captured pensioners into a tax-paying bracket. Giving with one hand, and taking it back with the other.

That doesn't alter the fact that I think Reeves has acted immorally - by removing the WFA this year she has effectively condemned many just-about-managing pensioners, especially as the energy price-cap will rise by 10% in October, to impoverishment. These pensioners will have budgeted for that WFA, so to remove it immediately gives them little to no chance to save towards a cushion for when the bills come in.

And that is wrong. Wholly wrong.

vegansrock. Again, I think the answer to that lies in the research paper. When WFP started it was only £20 (and £50 for those claiming means-tested benefits). At the time it was a simple boost to pensioner income and easier to make it universal rather than identify those in genuine need using DSS systems that were far from joined up. Costs quickly rose from 759m in 1999 to over 2bn by 2016 which prompted government to start questioning the cost and who was genuinely suffering from fuel poverty. It was also seen as a fix to help those who were too proud to claim other benefits. We know that there are around 800,000 people eligible for pension credit who are not claiming. That's what Reeves is aiming for, to have those people getting the help they deserve but she needs to do something for those on the "cliff edge" as the paper describes.

callistemon I don’t expect Reeves to reverse her decision, nor put in mitigation measures, but I think we may have a better overall impression of the sense of direction after the budget etc, this is only giving us a tiny glimmer of where she is going.

Are you saying that the huge number of posters here who are horrified or worried by the cut off of the Winter fuel money are racists?
It has nothing to do with racism and is a very real concern to millions of pensioners.

Whitewavemark2

callistemon I don’t expect Reeves to reverse her decision, nor put in mitigation measures, but I think we may have a better overall impression of the sense of direction after the budget etc, this is only giving us a tiny glimmer of where she is going.

A tiny and horrifying glimmer! Easy to be complacent when you don’t need the extra money yourself.

Whitewavemark2

callistemon I don’t expect Reeves to reverse her decision, nor put in mitigation measures, but I think we may have a better overall impression of the sense of direction after the budget etc, this is only giving us a tiny glimmer of where she is going.

I can tell you where she's going more tax rises.

It is actually possible to be a labour voter, and not racist, and say there are many worrying issues in this decision. Well its possible if you dont see politics as 'supporting the right team'.

I wonder if she will backtrack or at least amend this when she realises the anger she has unleashed.

Remember last winter's diary of power cuts? We were all told to expect them on scheduled days. That was scaremongering too, we had none here.

Having voted them in makes me feel even worse🤬
I find it shocking and worry what else is coming down the line if this measure is the first thing they choose to do.

Oreo

Are you saying that the huge number of posters here who are horrified or worried by the cut off of the Winter fuel money are racists?
It has nothing to do with racism and is a very real concern to millions of pensioners.

They don't like the truth Oreo heads in the sand.

Well done to all those who voted LIEbour!! I just hope the people who don't get in now, are OK during the winter months. Maybe they will eventually stop sending money to foreign countries and put it where it's needed!!!

Callistemon213

I wonder if she will backtrack or at least amend this when she realises the anger she has unleashed.

Remember last winter's diary of power cuts? We were all told to expect them on scheduled days. That was scaremongering too, we had none here.

Yes quite possible - most governments do. It supposed to be called “listening”😄.

My interest as far as the elderly and the medically unfit are concerned is to see a real change to social services and properly funded care for those who need it.

I would be prepared to give up WFA for that. Although Reeves maintains that it is is essential to begin to plug the so called black hole. But we shall see.

Nicenanny3

Whitewavemark2

callistemon I don’t expect Reeves to reverse her decision, nor put in mitigation measures, but I think we may have a better overall impression of the sense of direction after the budget etc, this is only giving us a tiny glimmer of where she is going.

I can tell you where she's going more tax rises.

You mean on top of the massive Tories tax rises?

Rachel Reeves will be forced to U-turn on the WFA as there is not enough manpower or up todate computers to make this happen in such short time. Read this.

uk.yahoo.com/news/rachel-reeves-forced-u-turn-100014744.html

You would be prepared to give up WF money.Ye Gods that says it all.

Comment to Whitewavemark2

Although Reeves maintains that it is is essential to begin to plug the so called black hole

That's an excuse.

Surely people can see the injustice, pensioners who have worked all their lives and paid their dues being penalised by having WFA taken off them, yet people roll up on the small boats having not paid a penny and get everything for free. Even a child can see that something is not right here. Obviously help genuine asylum seekers fleeing wars like the Ukrainians but not economic migrants fleeing France and no I won't stop posting about it.
.

I also read that Labour will be going after free prescriptions next for people not on benefits. If that happens then I won't be paying for my drugs, I will just lay down and die.

We can only hope HattieTopper

Koalama

Well done to all those who voted LIEbour!! I just hope the people who don't get in now, are OK during the winter months. Maybe they will eventually stop sending money to foreign countries and put it where it's needed!!!

That’s never going to happen, we and other countries have been giving foreign aid for decades, mainly to the countries who used to be part of the commonwealth.

I voted Labour.

I do believe that financially there were some black holes hidden from Labour and all of us.

I am sorry she’s done this as her first fiscal move, and I have empathy with those in genuine need, especially those living alone who always seem to take a big hit.

We, in our home, do not need the WFP and would rather see it go to those who do need it!

Nicenanny3

Oreo

Are you saying that the huge number of posters here who are horrified or worried by the cut off of the Winter fuel money are racists?
It has nothing to do with racism and is a very real concern to millions of pensioners.

They don't like the truth Oreo heads in the sand.

But why does every thread end up with people going on and on about immigrants? Because they aren’t the sole cause of every problem this country is facing. Which isn’t saying there isn’t a problem. But not to the extent that it’s made out to be.

Nicenanny3

Surely people can see the injustice, pensioners who have worked all their lives and paid their dues being penalised by having WFA taken off them, yet people roll up on the small boats having not paid a penny and get everything for free. Even a child can see that something is not right here. Obviously help genuine asylum seekers fleeing wars like the Ukrainians but not economic migrants fleeing France and no I won't stop posting about it.
.

I 100% agree with you,

Nicenanny3

Surely people can see the injustice, pensioners who have worked all their lives and paid their dues being penalised by having WFA taken off them, yet people roll up on the small boats having not paid a penny and get everything for free. Even a child can see that something is not right here. Obviously help genuine asylum seekers fleeing wars like the Ukrainians but not economic migrants fleeing France and no I won't stop posting about it.
.

The two things are simply not connected! Why are you not laying the blame for all those immigrants, entering legally and illegally, on the outgoing govt who’ve had 14 years to fix this very incendiary problem?

Any politician who can do what RR has said they’re going to do also makes me worry what kind of a politician they actually are.
Quite apart from going after pensioners as a group and apparently thinking that’s quite OK to do it’s as as uncaring as you can get on this subject.