Winter Fuel fury as British pensioners £755 worse off than Irish after Labour raid
Ireland's system for pensioner support has been described as "better thought out" than Britain's.
British pensioners will be £755 worse off than their Irish counterparts this winter due to cuts in energy bill support imposed by Labour.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves decided to strip 10 million pensioners of their winter fuel payments this year, worth up to £300, by making the benefit means-tested. Previously, the payment was available to all pensioners in England and Wales born before a certain date.
Labour claims the means-testing of these payments is necessary to save £1.4billion and protect the economy, but criticism is mounting as the Bank of England recently provided the Treasury with an unexpected £10billion fiscal boost.
In Ireland, pensioners over 70 with weekly incomes up to £429 can receive energy support of £28 per week during the colder months, amounting to around £750 a year.
In contrast, British pensioners with incomes as low as £11,500 will no longer receive winter fuel payments unless they claim pension credit, which is only available to those with a weekly income of £218 or less.
Former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann slammed the policy, reports The Telegraph, saying: "This is truly irresponsible and no impact assessment has been made to work out the risks and how to mitigate them for the majority of those badly impacted."
Caroline Abrahams, director at Age UK, echoed the concerns, stating that Ireland’s system is now “better thought out” than Britain’s, and urged the Government to use the upcoming Budget to rectify the situation.
The cuts come as reports show seven out of 10 disabled pensioners will lose winter fuel payments due to these changes.
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Labour’s own 2017 report warned that scrapping the allowance could lead to more pensioner deaths during cold weather.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with over 12 million set to see their state pension rise by £1,700 this parliament through protecting the triple lock.
“Given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it’s right we target support to those who need it most. Over a million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, while many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with their energy bills over winter.”
