I am very sympathetic to the plight millions of pensioners find themselves in and I am very concerned about my constituents affected by this policy.

On 10th September I voted in support of the Opposition’s motion against this cruel policy. I strongly oppose the Government’s decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners, one of the first acts taken by this new Government.

I firmly believe that pensioners deserve dignity and respect in retirement, and I am deeply concerned about the Government’s approach to pensioner’s welfare.

Unless in receipt of Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits, the Government has announced that millions will no longer receive annual Winter Fuel Payments, representing losses of up to £300 for around 10 million pensioners.

Good Government is about making the right priorities, and the choice to take away the Winter Fuel Allowance from low-income pensioners, whilst at the same time awarding inflation-busting pay rises to certain unionised workforces, is deeply flawed and difficult to justify. A pensioner living on just £13K will be denied this winter fuel allowance, whilst at the same time, already highly paid train drivers have been offered a “no-strings” pay increase of 14.25 percent. This deal means that a train driver on 65k will receive a pay rise of almost £10K.

The last government successfully delivered around 11.9 million Winter Fuel Payments and Pensioner Cost of Living Payments to older people across the UK in December 2023. This meant pensioners had security in retirement, something this Government is not committed to supporting.

I will continue to advocate for the protection of pensioners and those in retirement, and will stand up for the Triple Lock introduced by the Government in 2011, which has resulted in pensioners receiving an increase of £900 this year, and is the best way to support all pensioners. I welcome that, in April 2024, the previous Government uprated the basic State Pension, new State Pension, and Pension Credit minimum guarantee in line with September 2023 average earnings growth of 8.5 per cent.

I will press the Government to try and ensure that pensioners are not overlooked in future policies.