A Grimsby resident has launched a scathing attack on Labour’s plans to cut winter fuel allowance payments for millions of pensioners.
“It’s absolutely disgusting”, Shaun Clarkson said on GB News.
“He’s putting a tax on pensioners. It’s just wrong. Old people have worked all their lives to raise money so they’ve got a comfortable state of life after they’ve retired and then they’re hit with a tax. It’s just not fair.”
The criticism comes as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure over the controversial policy changes.
Clarkson lashed out at Starmer in a fiery rant
GB NEWS
Starmer defended the changes during a series of BBC local radio interviews, insisting he had to prioritise NHS funding over payments to the “relatively wealthy”.
“Without the change that we’re putting in place at the moment, the allowance goes to everyone, whether they need it or not,” he told BBC Radio Merseyside.
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Pensioners have voiced their fury at the changes
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“I think most people would say that doesn’t make sense when you’ve got a really, really difficult, tight budget,” he added.
The Labour leader acknowledged the difficult nature of the decision, saying there were “lots of decisions we had to make in the Budget which, to be perfectly honest, I’d have preferred not to have had to make.”
Around 10 million pensioners will no longer be eligible for the annual winter fuel payment of £200 to £300 under the new restrictions.
The payment will now be limited to those receiving Pension Credit and some other means-tested benefits, following an announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The Grimsby local spoke to GB News’s Emily Carver
GB NEWS
The government’s own impact assessment suggested the changes would boost poverty numbers by 100,000.
The Department for Work and Pensions is urging affected pensioners to check if they qualify for Pension Credit, which would allow them to retain access to the winter fuel allowance.
To help offset the cuts, the government has invested £421 million into its Household Support Fund, distributed among local authorities across England until March.
Through partnerships with organisations like Age UK, councils can provide replacement fuel payments of £200-£300 for low-income pensioners who lose their Winter Fuel Payment.
Additional support includes fuel debt relief of up to £500 per household for pensioners struggling with utility bills.
Some councils are also offering blankets, quilts, warm clothing and emergency portable heaters to affected residents.
Eligible pensioners with less than £5,000 in savings can access this support through their local Age UK offices.
