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Welsh Labour minister finally admits that Winter Fuel change risks pensioner poverty hike

2024-08-21 00:00:00.0 每日快报-政治原网页

Welsh Labour minister Jane Hutt admitted the Winter Fuel changes could hurt pensioners (Image: Labour / Getty)

A Labour minister in the Welsh government finally admitted today for the first time that her party’s decision to scrap universal Winter Fuel Payments risks plunging pensions into fuel poverty.

In an answer to the Welsh Conservatives, Jane Hutt - the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, confessed that Rachel Reeves’ choice does risk hurting vulnerable older people.

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READ MORE: Labour's priorities are wrong and their Winter Fuel choice is shameful hypocrisy

Andrew RT Davies backed the Express' Winter Fuel Payment campaign (Image: Getty)

Andrew RT Davies, the most senior Tory in Wales, became the latest politician to publicly back the Daily Express’s Save Our Winter Fuel crusade.

Today he writes for the Express accusing Sir Keir Starmer of showing “shameful rank hypocrisy” with the Government’s spending priorities.

Mr Davies says that choosing to cut Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners is an “unforgivable political decision”, and warns it will hit Wales even harder than England.

The top Tory points out that Wales has 15% more pensioners as a proportion of the population compared to England, meaning even more risk going cold or hungry this Christmas as they’re forced to make up the ￡300 drop in their income.

Mr Davies compares this political choice with what the Labour Party is willing to spend money on: namely ￡120 million increasing the number of politicians in the Senedd.

He also tears into the Welsh Government’s ‘Basic Income Pilot’ scheme, which sparked outrage last year with plans to give no-strings-attached cash to young people, including current and former asylum seekers.

Mr Davies warns: “Starmer called Wales his “blueprint” for what Labour would do across the UK”.

"If Labour’s vanity projects in Wales are anything to go by then our new PM will by tied up 24/7.

"Instead of protecting people who have paid into the system their whole lives, our pensioners, Labour is preoccupied with pointless programmes like their ‘Basic Income pilot’ which involves giving away no strings attached cash to young people, including some current and former asylum seekers.”

Early in political alignment, left-wing party Plaid Cymru has sided with the Welsh Conservatives behind the Express’s crusade.

Last week Plaid MP Ann Davies warned that Labour’s decision will lead to thousands going cold this winter”.

Ms Davies warned: “In Wales, an estimated 80,000 miss out on Pension Credit despite being eligible – some of the most vulnerable in our society with many living in poorly insulated households or off-grid.

“The Chancellor must reconsider her decision instead of passing on the cost of fixing the economy on to our pensioners.”

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The Welsh politician's confession undermines the Westminster Labour government (Image: Getty)

The Countryside Alliance has already warned that Rachel Reeves’ cuts to Winter Fuel allowance will hit rural pensioners the hardest, with the policy overlooking the fact that rural Britons face both huger costs and levels of fuel poverty - many of whom live in Wales.

The campaign group said: “These are exacerbated by a greater reliance on more expensive heat sources than gas, since rural properties are much more likely to lack a connection to the grid.”

“As it stands, it is hard to escape the conclusion that rural pensioners will disproportionately be left worse off.”

According to research by the Welsh Assembly, 19% of domestic properties in Wales are not connected to the gas grid, higher than the English equivalent statistic of between 12% and 13%.

However in some areas such as Ceredigion, a whopping 75% of properties are not on the mains gas grid.

Being off the gas grid is associated with a higher incidence of fuel poverty. In 2023, those living in off-grid properties recorded fuel poverty rates of 19.4%, compared to 12.3% of houses connected to the grid.

This means the cut to winter fuel payment will affect Wales even more than England.

The Express has continued to be inundated with testimonies from older readers worried about how the Winter Fuel Payment cuts will hit them this winter.

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Moira Ings of the Yorkshire Dales warned she and her partner live in an old stone cottage in the national park, which doesn’t allow for solar panels. She warned: “Its going to be a long cold, damp winter this year.”

“I'm 75 and my husband is 77. We both have life altering health issues. Need I say more, except we are dreading this winter.”

Jackie Bushell, 68, accused the Government of passing a “death sentence” for tens of thousands of vulnerable pensioners.

“It appears the government are now intent on appeasing the unions demands at the expense of pensioners, how many of us will have to suffer and die.”

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