Keir Starmer aka Captain Flip Flop

Yes, definitely check them out!

Just caution as to sources and in the case of young people especially the ability to do so.

Well that excuse didn't take long. 🤣🤣🤣

If removing the WFA to fill the black hole is wrong it’s wrong whoever says it and whenever it’s said. But I don’t expect any LP voters to acknowledge that.
I’m busy investigating the heating claims by MPs.

I can't think of any GN's Labour or otherwise (if memory serves) who have agreed its right!

What has come out is the level it's been set at and wanting a change on that front.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Dickens

Wyllow3

Totally agree maddyone -top priority, my GD who is seriously disabled is waiting for an operation which is to straighten her legs and the older she gets the less impact it will have. children in desperate need of CAMHS care on waiting lists at a crucial time in their lives.

Wyllow3

for your GD.

I hope she doesn't have to wait much longer.

It should never have come to this...

Thank you Dickens she has cerebral palsy, almost no eyesight, epilepsy, learning difficulties. she used to be able to walk with a walker but used upper body strength and not her legs enough and now is to big, so its vital. She does adore water and swimming.

Wyllow for your granddaughter. I really hope she gets the operation she needs as soon as possible🤞How lovely that she adores swimming❤️

The introduction of universal credit, and the removal of the child allowance payable to third and subsequent children have affected millions adversely too of course, but that is just probably another excuse from Labour supporters ‘defending Gordon Brown’.

Removing a payment from those who really don’t need it to fund something else? What’s wrong with that?

Casdon

The introduction of universal credit, and the removal of the child allowance payable to third and subsequent children have affected millions adversely too of course, but that is just probably another excuse from Labour supporters ‘defending Gordon Brown’.

There is no cap on child allowance (£26.50 for first child £24.00 for subsequent children)

There is a cap on claiming Universal Credit for more than two children.

You don’t have to receive universal credit to get child allowance for your first two children though GrannyGravy, it’s a separate benefit, sliding scale based on income?

I was a LOT worse off when I was changed to universal credit.

Hey ho; there is no one size fits all and makes everyone happy answer.

Mollygo

🪱

?

Me too Doodledog!

What does that mean Mollygo. I’m obviously not as up to speed with the emojis as you

Quokka

Removing a payment from those who really don’t need it to fund something else? What’s wrong with that?

Because those who are just above the PC cut-off point more than likely do need the WFA. These are the pensioners we are talking about.

I hope your granddaughter gets her treatment very soon Wyllow.
Waiting for treatment is no picnic, as I know very well myself.
I think what the previous government did to the NHS is a disgrace. I’m not a Labour voter but I have no compunction in calling out what any government does if I think it is a bad policy. I understand perfectly well that Covid caused waiting lists to build up and I was prepared to be patient about that, but what has happened since is beyond acceptable. The NHS was one reason why I considered voting Labour at the last election, but in the end I didn’t. In any case I knew we were going to have a Labour government after the election and I’m absolutely expecting improvements in the NHS from them. I realise it will take time, and improvements will be too late to affect Wyllow’s granddaughter or myself, because we should both have had our surgery before that, but expectations are high and we shall hopefully see improvements in the next few years.

Words used in 2022 have been used to say that Starmer "flip flopped" on a direct promise apparently made recently, when he did not, and the accusation has been made on spurious grounds.

Just to correct slightly what you said there Wyllow. See my post on page 10. This provides a link to the original whole interview that Starmer did for Good Housekeeping magazine that the clip comes from. The interview was in April 2024 but Starmer’s remarks about pensioners related to the economic situation in 2022 when the price of food and energy was rocketing. He talks about the economy being out of contol then and the need to stabilise prices - which is now happening.

It’s worth pointing out that the question that prompted the response was from a pensioner to Good Housekeeping saying that though state pension had gone up by 8.5% from April 2024, when the pension is low in the first place, 8.5% doesn’t amount to much - which prompted his anecdote from 2022 about the need to stabilise prices.

Thinking about it there was no need to hark back to 2022. That turbulent period has passed. A better answer would have been to discuss the relative value of the UK pension where we lag behind most other European countries but that's dangerous fiscal territory and this was local election time with a general election anticipated (albeit not yet announced). Easier to criticise the opposition - unfairly I think as they did a lot to help people during that crisis.

Inflation was at 11.1% in October 2022. It is now down to 2%. In the interview Starmer said the Labour Party is committed to the triple lock. Bookmark that.

Average earnings growth April-June 2024 was 5.4%. We shall see what effect that has on inflation in the longer term and we need to see the September 2024 numbers that the next triple lock will be based on, but factor in recent pay settlements and it’s looking like the pension increase in April 2025 could be higher than inflation.

Say the next triple lock does turn out to be based on 5.4%. That would give someone in receipt of basic state pension an extra £9.15 a week from April 2025 or £475 a year - as opposed to £4.75 a week or £220 a year if triple lock is only 2.5% - which is the minimum it can be even if inflation is below that. For basic rate taxpayers, that’s a net post-tax difference of £204 - the amount of WFP that is being withdrawn if you are under 80. If you don’t pay tax it’s a difference of £255.

At the time Reeves made her announcement about WFP, she may have taken this into account.

Most energy companies now operate a fixed direct debit system based on a rolling twelve month estimate of customers’ energy costs. In other words, we pay a bit more in the summer months to cover our extra winter costs. Energy companies now do our budgeting for us which, to my recollection, wasn’t what was happening 25 years ago when the WPF was introduced.

In a nutshell. what I’m saying is that if you budget on a weekly basis, an above inflation rise in pension should compensate for the loss of WFP - an argument towards withdrawing it next rather than this year so people can budget.

maddyone I really despair of some aspects of NHS care. The local surgery took no interest in my request for an updated prescription for a friend who had been discharged from hospital 2 weeks ago. Despite my passing information to them, the gp still signed prescriptions for out of date medications. I had to phone the ward to ask them to email discharge letter to the surgery. The gp’s receptionist refused any involvement.
The local pharmacy then had to ask the pharmacist attached to the surgery to expedite signing the new prescription to avoid a gap in supply.
Not only that, my local pharmacist was very concerned that two dissent boxes of medication had to be destroyed because no one had informed the pharmacy that my friend had been hospitalised.
The service is at rock bottom ….

Not dissent but dosset

Although dissent is clearly necessary

Thank you Maerion. Your posts are always full of information and I managed to understand the bit on pensions!

In the interview Starmer said the Labour Party is committed to the triple lock. Bookmark that.

My understanding of Labour policy on the triple-lock is that they confirmed they would match the Tories’ commitment to it until 2028 (not sure if that means the 2028-29 fiscal year, or 27-28).

LizzieDrip

Me too Doodledog!

What does that mean Mollygo. I’m obviously not as up to speed with the emojis as you

Look up red worm emoji meaning. Mean is being kind.

The fact that Starmer approves of it, now he’s in power, using the same excuse for doing it as Sunak was using, but challenged Sunak not to do it because it was wrong, is incontrovertible, no matter how many those were different times
or
not everybody agrees with the way it has been done
twists/excuses that appear.

Starmer challenged Sunak for proposing to remove the WFA as it was wrong.
Starmer plans to do exactly that.

Dickens

Quokka

Removing a payment from those who really don’t need it to fund something else? What’s wrong with that?

Because those who are just above the PC cut-off point more than likely do need the WFA. These are the pensioners we are talking about.

Then the cut-off point is in the wrong place, or the basic pension is basically not high enough. If, as Maerion says, the triple lock will see to it that there is a pension rise high enough to offset the loss of the WFP, then as soon as that rise begins, the effect of the loss will stop. The question then is, what will be done in the interim to tide over those pensioners who will be hit by the loss until the (hopefully) pension rise but are not eligible for pension credit?

In defence of the NHS;my partner fell down his stairs on Saturday. Top to bottom onto a tiled floor. A phone call to 111 resulted in an appointment at A&E. Was seen straight away on arrival and wasn’t allowed to leave until he’d had 3 ct scans (as one nurse said, you’re not leaving here until we know for sure there’s no bleeding on your brain). Following that a phone call to his GP resulted in an appointment the following day with a physio. Given exercises and reassurance and told to see him again if necessary. Having not had any dealings with the NHS for years ( apart from vaccinations) I was amazed at the speed and efficiency. Talking to my daughter yesterday she said her main problem recently has been how impossible it has been to get an ambulance when you really need one. One thing we have learned is to have the phone number of a good reliable taxi service to hand, preferably one that has yellow cabs as well as cars.