Labour ‘picking pensioners’ pockets’, says union chief ahead of winter fuel vote

Labour has decided to “pick the pocket of pensioners” while leaving the richest “totally untouched”, the head of the UK’s largest trade union has said as pressure mounts for the Government to U-turn on means testing winter fuel payments.

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, urged Sir Keir Starmer to “do a U-turn” on the policy, which would see winter fuel payments restricted to only the poorest pensioners.

She told the BBC’s Today programme: “We need to make sure that he is making the right choices and leadership is about choices. He needs to be big enough and brave enough to do a U-turn on this choice. It’s completely wrong.

“People do not understand how a Labour government has decided to pick the pocket of pensioners and, at the same time, leave the richest in our society totally untouched. That is wrong and he needs to change course.”

Ms Graham called instead for a tax on the “1% wealthiest”, which she claimed would raise £25 billion rather than the £1.2 billion restricting winter fuel payments would save.

She said: “The wealthiest in the country have been at the front of the queue for 14 years. I want to see workers and communities now at the front of the queue and that is why we’re saying they must do a U-turn on this very, very, very cruel (policy).”

Her comments come ahead of a vote on Tuesday, which is likely to see the Prime Minister suffer another backbench rebellion.

A dozen Labour backbenchers have signed a motion put forward by one of the party’s new MPs, Neil Duncan-Jordan, calling on the Government to delay implementing the policy.

The motion has also been signed by six of the seven Labour MPs who lost the whip in July after voting against the King’s Speech over the Government’s refusal to abolish the two-child benefit cap.

However, ministers continue to insist the cut is necessary to help fill a £22 billion “black hole” in this year’s budget left by their Conservative predecessors.

Under the plans announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in July, winter fuel payments will be restricted to those receiving pension credit, meaning around 10 million pensioners will lose out this winter.

Ahead of the vote, Ms Reeves will address a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday in an effort to address backbench concerns.

On Monday, Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson told the BBC the Government was working to ensure all pensioners who were entitled to pension credit claimed the benefit, adding she was “sure” other mitigations were being looked at by ministers.

However, Treasury sources said she “misspoke” in suggesting the Government was looking at doing more than encouraging further take-up of pension credit.

Dame Diana told ITV she would “reluctantly” vote for the policy on Monday, emphasising that it was “a difficult decision”.