Reform UK MP James McMurdock has demanded Sir Keir Starmer slash foreign aid to cover Winter Fuel Payments as the UK faces its coldest temperatures in four years.
Speaking to GB News, McMurdock branded the timing of the policy change as “nothing short of cruel” amid forecasts of temperatures plummeting to -20C across parts of Britain.
The South Basildon & East Thurrock MP highlighted Labour’s own research which warned that such cuts could lead to “up to 4,000 unnecessary deaths among the elderly”.
McMurdock criticised the implementation of the policy just before winter, stating it left “the most vulnerable little to no time to do what preparation they can”.
Reform UK Mp James McMurdock has laid down the gauntlet
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McMurdock argued the cuts reflected misplaced Government priorities in spending decisions. “This is a question of priorities. A question of how the Government chooses to spend the British people’s money,” he told GB News.
The 38-year-old revealed he had previously written to the Chancellor regarding potential alternative funding sources. He specifically pointed to the Foreign Aid Budget, noting that based on current economic conditions, the UK is “paying in excess of the legally recommended amount”.
McMurdock suggested that “just a marginal reduction in the Foreign Aid Budget would have prevented the need of our elderly to face the real world consequences of this decision”.
The Reform UK MP’s comments come as vulnerable residents across Britain face a combination of severe weather conditions and reduced support for heating costs.
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Reform UK MP James McMurdock with Nigel Farage
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The People’s Channel also spoke to several pensioners in McMurdock’s South Basildon & East Thurrock constituency.
Speaking to GB News in Stanford-le-Hope, Edwina Pedder said: “It’s been dreadful. We’re losing money. It’s like they want to kill old people. Most people think we’re all well off but we’re not.
“Labour said they wanted to fill the black hole but they just blame everyone else. The past Government, Covid just everything. I can understand if they had done something less drastic like cut it in half but it’s so poor.
“We know someone, a friend of ours, who has been forced to wear their dressing gown all day. Someone else we know just sits in bed. It’s not been bad for us but we’ve gone back to having to use our hot water bottles. It’s just shocking.”
Husband Donald Pedder added: “I wonder if any of those in the cabinet have any old relatives they thought about.”
Snowy fields and railway line near Heriot, Scottish Borders
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The Met Office predicts the coldest day and night of the year, with widespread frost and temperatures dropping between -3C and -10C across most parts of the UK.
In Scotland’s Pennines, temperatures are expected to reach as low as -20C, marking the lowest recorded temperatures since February 2021.
Experts have warned that “cold Arctic air” will remain across the UK for the rest of the week, bringing “some of the coldest weather of the winter so far”.
The Met Office forecasts the freezing temperatures will continue until the end of the week, with daytime temperatures remaining “well below average for this time of year”.
GB News has approached the DWP and the Treasury for comment.
