LYMM’S Tory MP Esther McVey has slammed the government for its ‘betrayal of pensioners’ after one of the Prime Minister’s advisors admitted no impact assessment was done into plans to scrap the winter fuel payment for millions.
After days of No 10 refusing to answer questions, it was confirmed no assessment into the impact on deaths and illness had been carried out.
Instead, the focus had been on increasing take up of pension credit.
Ms McVey said: “The decision to remove the winter fuel allowance from 10 million pensioners was bad enough – especially given that they did it without being honest about it at the election – but to do so without any kind of impact assessment is appalling and callous. They will never be forgiven for this betrayal of our pensioners”.
Ms McVey’s criticism comes days after she spoke in Parliament calling on government to set out what assessments had been done.
A study produced by Labour in 2017 claimed nearly 4,000 people would die if winter fuel payments were stopped.
Earlier this week Warrington’s Labour MPs Charlotte Nichols and Sarah Hall prompted a wave of anger from local residents after voting in favour of controversial Labour plans to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners.
The allowance of between £200 to £300 was not means tested and was given to millions of pensioners without an assessment of their income.
Now only those in receipt of benefits including pension credit will receive the help with their heating bills.
No wonder I didn’t get an answer when I asked the Minister had Labour done an impact assessment on removing the Winter Fuel Payment from 10m pensioners.
We find out tonight – It’s because they hadn’t done one.
What a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/JYqwHobxxN
— Esther McVey (@EstherMcVey1) September 12, 2024
1 Comment
And I believe 270,000 applications for pension credit have been refused to date ?