GB News presenter Martin Daubney has called out a Labour MP who voted in favour of scrapping the Winter Fuel Payment, declaring he is on the “list of shame”.
Defending her decision at the party’s conference today in Liverpool, Reeves assured the nation that cutting the benefit for millions of pensioners ahead of the winter months was “the right decision”.
The Chancellor also claimed that she “did not take those decisions lightly” and will “never take the responsibilities of this office lightly”.
Speaking to GB News, Fred Thomas, MP for Plymouth Moor View, was shut down by Martin after declaring that Reeves’s decision was “strong” and had “actual conviction”.
Martin Daubney told Thomas he is ‘on the list of shame’ after voting to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment
GB News
Blaming the outgoing Conservative Government for causing Labour to make the decision, Thomas said: “I’m absolutely furious that we’ve had to do this. The economic mess we’ve inherited is a disgrace to this country.
“I represent thousands of pensioners in Plymouth, and people are really angry that the Conservative Government, who were in power until just 11 weeks ago, have left this country with a completely unworkable economic situation and that has forced us to make really hard decisions, about identifying who are the most in need of support from the Government.”
Standing firm on his support for Reeves, however, Thomas told Martin: “I completely stand by Rachel’s decision, but I also understand the frustration that’s caused amongst some pensioners who aren’t eligible. It’s the harsh reality we are faced with.
“We’ve got a really tough mountain to climb as a government, as a country, and together we can do it. I’m really optimistic and I think today marks the first steps of change beginning.
Martin Daubney shared the map he created of how Labour MPs voted across the UK
GB News
“The Government is going to make the tough decisions, but are not hiding behind popular and unfunded schemes that sound good but end up costing us more.”
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Highlighting Thomas’s “fury” on behalf of his pensioner constituents, Martin reminded the Plymouth MP that he was one of the Labour members who voted in favour of the move, telling him he is “on the list of shame”.
Martin stated: “I’m glad you mentioned that you’re furious about the decision in your constituency. I made a map, it’s called the list of shame – people who voted to kill the Winter Fuel Allowance, and you’re on that list.
“If you go to your constituency of Plymouth Moor View, your majority, Fred, is 5,604. Do you know how many pensioners lost the Winter Fuel Allowance in your seat?”
Thomas remained supportive of Labour’s decision, explaining: “As I say, I’m furious about the inheritance that we’ve received from the Conservative Government. That is what is driving the hard decisions that we are taking as a responsible Government, finally putting long-term growth first.
Thomas said Labour’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves is making ‘bold decisions’
GB News
“And as I say, I understand my constituents’ concerns, and I’d like to reassure them that the reason the Chancellor has taken with the Prime Minister these decisions is because we need bold action.
“I completely stand by those decisions, and that’s why I voted for it. But of course, I understand the human impact, that’s real. And that’s why in my constituency in Plymouth Moor View, I’m holding a number of pensioner-focused surgeries.”
When asked by Martin if he is “concerned” that pensioners may vote him out of his seat at the next election, Thomas responded: “I’m really confident that come the next election we’ll have had time, and it is going to require time for this Labour Government to turn the country around.
“We’ve had 10 or 11 weeks, so that does not count as enough time to change around a huge economy, and these tough decisions are a part of that.”
