Leeds South West and Morley MP Mark Sewards has said he would not have voted to means test winter fuel allowances for pensioners “if it were not necessary to balance the books”.
In an open letter to his constituents, Mr Sewards added he would not have voted for the cut if “the government were leaving the most vulnerable pensioners in our communities without the support they desperately need this winter”.
The Labour government yesterday held off a backbench rebellion over plans to cut the winter fuel allowance but its majority fell to 120.
MPs voted 348 to 228 to axe the payment for all but the country’s poorest pensioners, rejecting a Tory bid for the controversial policy to be blocked. The Government’s usual working majority is 167.
In a letter circulated on social media, Mr Sewards said: “I was elected on a manifesto which stated, as our first commitment, that we will never play fast and loose with the public finances. We will ensure the books are balanced and we will create the conditions necessary to grow the economy and raise living standards for everyone, including pensioners.
“The economic foundations which this Government have inherited are much more severely damaged than anyone outside of the previous administration anticipated.
“The previous Conservative government hid huge amounts of overspending from everyone, including the independent Office for Budget Responsibility who are now investigating.
“This has left a €22bn hole in the country’s finances that must be immediately accounted for. In order to foster economic stability and generate growth to raise living standards, we cannot shy away from plugging this gap. We are being honest about the inheritance we face and how difficult it will be to balance the books.”
The Labour MP, who was elected in July after serving as a councillor in Farnley & Wortley Ward for two years, added: “My mission is to ensure that every pensioner receives the correct level of support in paying for their energy bills. I will also continue making representations to the Chancellor to advocate for any pensioner that falls just above the current threshold for pension credit and may struggle receive the support they deserve.
“I would strongly urge any pensioners who cannot pay their energy bills to contact my office via this email or by landline once we’ve opened our office in October.”
Read Mr Sewards’ letter in full here:
Chancellor – and Leeds West & Pudsey MP – Rachel Reeves and Leeds Central and Headingley MP (which includes Kirkstall and Burley) Alex Sobel also voted against the Conservative amendment.
Ms Reeves said today: “I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge we face after fourteen years of low economic growth. That’s why we are taking the long-term decisions now to fix the foundations of our economy, so we can rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off.”
Only Labour MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, Jon Trickett – a former Leeds City Council leader – supported the Conservation motion to block the cut. Leeds East MP Richard Burgon, who is currently independent after having the Labour whip suspended, supported the Conservative amendment.
No vote was recorded for 53 Labour MPs, although this does not automatically equate to an abstention for each MP as they may have received permission to miss a vote. Labour sources said 12 of the MPs absent for Tuesday’s vote had not been authorised.
The winter fuel payments of either £200 or £300 are normally made in November and December and will still be paid to all pensioners claiming pension credit to top up a low income.
The number of fuel payments will fall from 11.4 million to 1.5 million this winter.
Next month’s Budget will involve “difficult decisions” on tax, spending, and welfare, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has today told the BBC.
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“I would not have voted for pensioners to freeze to death unless I really had to…honest.”
Don’t bother to tax the rich, just kill off pensioners. As long as you say “we really had to do this”, you’ll get away with it.
when the hospitals are full of pensioners with eating /heating problems and all dying what will the nhs do then