MPs vote in favour of government cut to pensioner winter fuel payments

29 comments

1. I voted for Starmer to make the hard decisions so I’m glad he did this as unpopular as it is.

   It was clearly the economically responsible decision and even a lot of Tory MPs secretly realise that which is why they’ve supported it in the past.

   But nobody wanted to take the political hit.

   Our fortunes as a country have been continuously diminished because we became a gerontocracy

2. Shows what a large majority means. 
   You can have significant internal disent and still manage to get things passed. 

3. I mean the government was always going to win. What’s will be interesting is how many Labour MPs voted against their government/abstained and what happens as a result

4. 1 in 4 pensioners live in properties worth over £1million

5. They didn’t u-turn after heavy press criticism? Well I’ll be damned

6. Good, should never have been implemented in the way it was, like everything some people will lose out but that’s life.

7. Well, us youngsters get told to eat less avocado toast and cut that netflix subscription, so maybe, less attending golf clubs and one less holiday in Spain and they’ll be fine.

   Wasn’t a fan of starmer but now I slowly become one. Absolute Chad, it wasn’t easy decision, yet the right one and he made it.

8. You can argue about what income pensioners should start getting it, or having some sort of tiered system, but getting rid of the blanket payment is the right call.

9. Good.

   Next up, index state pension payouts by how much NICs you’ve contributed instead of just years served.

   The median pensioner receives almost 2x in state pension what they paid in NICs. No wonder we’re broke.

   https://www.pensionspolicyinstitute.org.uk/media/1crf4ox5/20230110-nics-and-statepen-post-proof.pdf

10. Good. Fed up of taxes on PAYE being astronomical. Pensioners should have eaten less avocado toast and saved more into a private pension

11. Let me see. He resolved things with the much needed NHS Drs. to make the NHS worthwhile for them and to make them feel valued. To pay for that he means-tested boomer winter fuel allowance. So the boomers have to sacrifice blanket financial help on their fuel payments. Those same boomers who, when they hear of children going hungry, are of the opinion that the parents need to sacrifice anything enjoyable in their life.

    Good.

12. My parents have £500,000 sitting in various savings accounts and receive dividends, plus both their pensions, yet they’re still eligible for fuel subsidy. If you’re going to make cuts this one makes sense.

13. 65+ is the age group where over 60% voted for Brexit. Highest % of any age group. No sympathy for old rich bastards that ruined the country.

14. Good, this is the right decision. The fact so many pensioners are up in arms about it is wild, they’re like entitled toddlers, they’ve had their own way for so long they don’t know how to accept it not being about them anymore.

15. I think this was a good decision the poorest pensioners will still get the allowance in theory they could have scrapped the whole lot.I understand pensioners need to keep warm so does plenty of disabled people and people who work from home.My husband and I have low income and I can’t work due to a medical condition apparently I am a health and safety risk we just put extra on my pre payment meter in the summer so we have a good amount saved for winter.At least the new government is actively seen trying to do something and it’s still helping the poorer elderly.

16. The reaction of the media and pensioners over this means no government will ever go near the triple lock. And that’s where the real money saver is if you dared

17. I’ve had to listen to my mum whinge about this today.

    She would never have been eligible anyway

18. Honestly glad about this, it’s a decision that had to be made to try and fix this fucked economy. Glad to see that Starmer is making actual change like he promised.

19. Looks like there will be a few individuals who will have to drop that morning coffee, cancel Netflix or not book that holiday to Spain….

20. Pensioners are getting a bigger pay rise than i’ve had in 2 years, every year just on the back of the triple lock. Two years is being kind, and lazy honestly.

    A means testing process for these things should be basic, like we have for other aspects of life. Whether it’s bankruptcy, benefits or tax exemptions.

21. Let’s hope this encourages more people to take up the Pension Credits available to them and wipe out any benefit of the savings.

22. Good. Too much in this country is targeted at people that don’t contribute. Hard decisions need to be made and savings need to happen.

    It’s about time those savings aren’t purely directed at the ones who are working and contributing.

    In a perfect world we’d have money for everything but we don’t. We can’t keep propping up broken systems while we all get poorer.

    So many of these systems were built on a social welfare system that worked when it was 1 claiming them for every 5 workers but it’s broken now and it’s not 1 claiming for 4 workers. Soon it will be 1 to 3. What then?

23. In case anyone wants to read the proposal… For me, the important bit is that they will means test the WFP.

    “The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has announced that, from winter 2024/2025, households in England and Wales will no longer be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment unless they receive Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits.”

    https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10094/

24. They are passing through all the unpopular changes now. You would like to think that within a year or 2 of the next election they will be passing through some real homeruns that will keep us plebs happy.

25. Isn’t there a more obvious problem? After a landslide victory, Starmer has made himself like a hypocrite and a Tory for a fairly limited fiscal benefit. He might as well have added 3% into top rate tax and used the same justification.

    And the right wing press will be searching for pensioners dying of cold. It’s very dumb politics.

26. The utter culture war issue this has been blown into is insane. I have colleagues and family absolutely ranting about this, but were silent or supportive towards Tory cuts. You point it out to them and are met with a blank stare.

27. But I am enjoying socialists talking about “tough fiscal decisions”. Just shows we’re all the same really. Kinda heartening.

28. I see that the MPs get to keep their £3,800 heating allowance

29. If I was a coffin dodger, I’d rack up a fuel bill, not pay it and they can collect it from my cold dead hands.

    Is this more about energy companies getting subsidies and avoiding the bad pr from letting old folk freeze to death after cutting them off?