Half a million people demand Labour STOP callous winter fuel payments cut

Campaigners have delivered a petition to parliament from over half a million people. It calls for the Labour Party government to scrap its cruel winter fuel payment cut to millions of pensioners.

This was on the same day new charity polling revealed that the policy will put nearly half of those pensioners now losing out on the benefit’s health at risk.

Winter fuel payment: putting pensioners health at risk

As the Canary has previously detailed, the government’s means-testing of the winter fuel payment will mean it will now deny the benefit to:

• 1.6 million -84% of pensioners in poverty
• 1.6 million – 71% of disabled pensioners

These statistics came from the government’s own data and Equality Analysis.

Therefore, the loss of the benefit will likely have far-reaching ramifications for pensioners’ health this winter. Now, non-profit Independent Age has surveyed older people to find out just how pensioners expect it to impact them. And the results are damning. It found:

• 44% of older people (65+) in England think losing the winter fuel payment will negatively impact their physical health.
• 49% of older people in England who will lose their winter fuel payment said they were planning to only heat and spend time in one room. 20% were already planning to do this but now an additional 29% said they will resort to this measure because of the change.
• 43% of older people in England who will lose their winter fuel payment said they were planning to wear outdoor clothes indoors, for example hats and coats. 15% were already planning to do this and now an additional 28% said they will make this change, which they hadn’t expected to do before losing the winter fuel payment.

In short then, Labour slashing the winter fuel payment is going to force people into these unconscionable situations this winter. Of course, it’s little wonder nearly half of people its denying the payment to think it will harm their physical health. That’s because, the rest of the responses highlighted that many of these will struggle to afford to heat their homes.

Given all this, more than 500,000 people signed a petition demanding the government reverse its policy. A coalition of groups headed to Westminster to deliver these to the government’s front door.

Winter fuel payment petition goes to Westminster

On Wednesday 16 October, campaigners took the signatures to Downing Street and the Treasury:

Your voice matters. Today we’ve taken more than 500,000 signatures to the Treasury and Number 10 to say #NoOneLeftInTheCold.

We can and must protect the hundreds of thousands of older people impacted by changes to the #WinterFuelPayment:https://t.co/J76MNhDXuK pic.twitter.com/blSPLWNyd2

— Independent Age (@IndependentAge) October 16, 2024

These were from a series of combined petitions and open letters by charities and campaign groups including Independent Age, 38 Degrees, Silver Voices, and Organise:

We’re in Westminster with @IndependentAge to deliver our petition with more than 500,000 signatures demanding the #WinterFuelPayment is protected.

Losing this support will force too many in later life to make dangerous decisions to get by this winter. #NoOneLeftInTheCold pic.twitter.com/pEVhE3PASO

— 38 Degrees (@38degrees) October 16, 2024

Chief executive of Independent Age Joanna Elson said that:

Tying the Winter Fuel Payment to Pension Credit now will see far too many older people fall through the cracks. Pension Credit still has a stubbornly low take up and in addition there is a large group of older people living just above the entitlement’s threshold, sometimes by just a few pounds. People in this situation will now have this vital money taken away from them. That’s why we are heading to Downing Street to urge the UK Government to protect the payment for those in later life living on low incomes.

With winter around the corner, now is the time to bring older people on a low income back in from the cold.

Matthew Mcgregor, CEO of 38 Degrees echoed this, stating that:

The message to the Government today is clear: don’t let vulnerable people fall through the cracks of our economy this winter

That’s why so many hundreds of thousands of us have come together to demand that Chancellor Rachel Reeves doesn’t scrap winter fuel payments for struggling pensioners, just as energy bills have risen again.

This petition hand-in should be a wake up call for the Prime Minister and Chancellor. Use this Autumn Budget to prove whose side you’re on.

Campaign groups come together to call Labour out

Other organisations also supported the hand-in. This included the Warm This Winter campaign:

Losing the #WinterFuelPayment will push too many older adults into making dangerous choices to get through this winter.

Today, we stand with other organisations heading to Parliament Square to deliver a petition with over half a million signatures.#NoOneLeftInTheCold pic.twitter.com/7GSfn15Jhb

— Warm This Winter (@ThisWinterUK) October 16, 2024

Fuel Poverty Action’s Jonathan Bean recorded a message to politician outside of Parliament:

🚨 Right now in Westminster!

FPA are joining @IndependentAge, @NPCUK, @38degrees and other amazing orgs calling for Winter Fuel Payments to be restored. #NoOneLeftInTheCold

Politicians should protect the vulnerable this winter, not the interests of billionaires & energy bosses. pic.twitter.com/FTGUiT6oPN

— Fuel Poverty Action (@FuelPovAction) October 16, 2024

Age UK showed its support for the campaign on X:

We’re supporting @IndependentAge, @38Degrees, @OrganiseHQ and @SilverVoices petition hand-in today. It shows the huge level of concern that older people will struggle badly without the #WinteFuelPayment this winter.

The Government must think again. #NoOneLeftInTheCold https://t.co/nuskBfEdlh

— Age UK Campaigns (@ageukcampaigns) October 16, 2024

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition, and Uplift were also among the groups backing the petition hand-in.

Half a million voices the government cannot ignore

Cornwall resident 68-year old Robert Trewhella was there to hand in the box of signatures to Downing Street. He said that:

It’s not right that so many older people will have money taken away from them this winter. My State Pension puts me just £2 above the Pension Credit threshold, meaning I will lose the Winter Fuel Payment. I only have a small income and in the past the extra money has helped keep my flat warm.

Hopefully the UK Government listens and decides to protect the Winter Fuel Payment for older people that can’t afford to lose it. I am worried about the winter ahead, I hope it doesn’t get too cold as I don’t think I will be able to turn the heating on often

Fuel Poverty Action’s Jonathan Bean summed up the callousness of the government’s move over the winter fuel payment:

Over half a million people have joined the call to axe this cruel policy – and no wonder. The health and lives of low-income pensioners will be put at risk. As a direct impact of this policy, people will resort to switching off the heating and trying to survive in cold, damp homes.

He expressed how he’d seen the devastating impacts of rising prices and unaffordable energy bills first-hand within his own family:

I know only too well the dangers of cutting vital energy support: my own uncle switched off his heating when prices first rose without telling his family. He ended up in an ambulance with hypothermia and then spent a month in hospital and two months in respite care.

So, Bean lambasted Labour’s decision which will push more pensioners into fuel poverty this winter:

In an attempt to justify their plans, Labour are pointing to the £22bn ‘black hole’ in the country’s finances. But pushing vulnerable pensioners into it isn’t the solution. Tory economics got us into this mess, and Labour should be moving towards a new kind of economics that puts people before profit.

Instead, he articulated that the government should guarantee the right to free energy for all:

If this government wants to show that it listens to the concerns of ordinary people, they need to scrap this cruel policy and focus instead on fixing our broken energy pricing system and protecting everyone with an essential energy guarantee that keeps us all warm and safe this winter.

Needless to say, no one should be risking their health or freezing to death in their homes this winter. However, the government slashing the winter fuel payment is set to do just that for hundreds of thousands of pensioners.

Now though, more than half a million people have raised their voices to demand it stop its ruthless policy – and on Wednesday, the coalition of campaigners made sure that’s 500,000 plus voices it cannot ignore.

Feature image via X – Fuel Poverty Action