Keir Starmer has been slammed for sending £50million in aid to Syria while many vulnerable British pensioners choose between heating and eating this winter after Labour’s slashing of the winter fuel allowance.
Starmer’s foreign secretary David Lammy announced the aid package- which will be distributed through the UN and other NGOs within Syria- in the wake of Syrian dictator Assad’s fall.
Lammy said: “We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course, first by providing £50m in new food, healthcare and aid to support the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Syrians.”
Of the funds, £30 million will provide food, shelter and emergency healthcare, while £10 million will support the World Food Programme in Lebanon, with a further £10 million allocated to the WFP and UN refugee agency UNHCR in Jordan.
But commentators have been quick to blast the move, asking why the government can afford to support Syrians but not its own vulnerable pensioners.
GB News analysis has revealed no less than 166,000 pensioners could have been kept warm this winter had Labour chosen to prioritise them.
This is based on the fact that pensioners born before September 1944 are eligible for £300 payment. (£50million aid / £300 winter fuel payment = 166,666 pensioners).
However, the number of pensioners who could have received the winter fuel money could be significantly higher as the payment falls to £200 if you were born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September 1958.
Using the same formula (Syrian aid / winter fuel payment = number of pensioners who could have had winter fuel allowance), the number rises to 250,000 pensioners.
And it doesn’t stop there. Both these calculations assume the pensioners in question live alone.
But the same payment applies to pensioner couples, meaning anywhere between 333,332 and an absolute maximum of 500,000 pensioners could have been kept warm this winter.
This includes particularly vulnerable elderly people such as the 1.6million disabled pensioners who will lose the payment, as reported by Disability Rights UK.
Similarly, the Syrian aid package could comfortably pay for all terminally ill pensioners who just lost their winter fuel payment, of which there are an estimated 44,000 according to Marie Curie.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, said: “The fall of the horrific Assad regime provides a once-in-a-generation chance for the people of Syria.
“We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course, first by providing £50m in new food, healthcare and aid to support the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Syrians.
“Second, by working diplomatically to help secure better governance in Syria’s future.
“This weekend, the UK and its partners came together to agree the principles required to support a Syrian-led transitional political process.
“It is vital that the future Syrian government brings together all groups to establish the stability and respect the Syrian people deserve.”
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Labour argues it is taking tough decisions now to plug the £22billion black hole left in the nation’s finances by the Tories.
Defending the winter fuel decision, Sir Keir said: “This government was elected to clear up the mess left by the party opposite, to bring about the change that the country desperately needs. Our first job was to audit the books, and what we found was a £22bn black hole.
“So we’ve had to take tough decisions to stabilise the economy and repair the damage, including targeting winter fuel payments whilst protecting pensioners.”
