Winter Fuel Payment cut a shameful political choice
The Winter Fuel Payment cut is the political choice of a Labour Chancellor who is refusing to break from Tory economics, says the Scottish Greens social security spokesperson, Maggie Chapman MSP.
This follows a Labour conference speech by Rachel Reeves that doubled down on the punishing cut.
Ms Chapman said:
“The Chancellor promised people across the UK that there would be no return to austerity, but having listened to her conference speech, I am not sure she knows what that means.
“She said she had no choice except to cut the Winter Fuel Payment because there wasn’t enough money for it. But she could make different choices: she could raise taxes on the biggest corporations or the wealthiest people.
"Only this morning, Labour doubled down on nuclear weapons. She could choose to use the billions she is spending on weapons of mass killing to support families being plunged into poverty. She could stop public subsidies going to arms companies to make bullets and bombs being used in genocide.
“The cut is an entirely political choice, and so is the suffering and death that will be its consequence. The Chancellor would clearly rather punish pensioners than stand up to her wealthy donors. It was a shameful decision, and it was astonishing to hear Labour members and MPs applauding as she tried to defend it.
“For 14 years, people all across our country have suffered through Tory austerity, and, in July, they were told that they were voting for change. Many hoped this would be the end of the pain. But in reality, it’s just the next chapter of austerity, this time being written by Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer.”