Union turns on Keir Starmer over Winter Fuel Payment cut - 'it's completely wrong!'

Labour has come under fire from the UK's largest trade union for deciding to "pick the pocket of pensioners" with winter fuel payment cuts.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham urged Sir Keir Starmer to U-turn on the "very cruel" policy, which would see the allowance restricted to only the poorest pensioners.

In a blistering attack, she said: "We need to make sure that he is making the right choices and leadership is about choices.

"He needs to be big enough and brave enough to do a U-turn on this choice. It's completely wrong.

"People do not understand how a Labour government has decided to pick the pocket of pensioners and, at the same time, leave the richest in our society totally untouched. That is wrong and he needs to change course."

Ms Graham instead demanded a tax on the "1% wealthiest", which she claimed would raise £25 billion rather than the £1.2 billion limiting winter fuel payments would save.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm a trade union leader and my job is to defend workers. I also have 100,000 pensioners in the union ... and I'm talking on behalf of those as well today.

"The point here is, when you're hearing words 'tough choices', that says to me 'cuts'.

"And this country cannot go through another round of austerity, it's not possible for people to go through another round of austerity. If it quacks like a duck and it looks like a duck, it's a duck.

"I feel that we're going down the wrong road. If they're going to put in cuts then I think people will be very, very, very concerned about that.

"The wealthiest in the country have been at the front of the queue for 14 years.

"I want to see workers and communities now at the front of the queue, and that is why we're saying they must do a U-turn on this very, very, very cruel (policy)."

Ms Graham was speaking as union leaders gathered in Brighton for the Trades Union Congress (TUC), where the Prime Minister is due to appear tomorrow.

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, also expressed fears over pensioners being plunged into fuel poverty this winter.

He said: "I've got real concerns about the cuts to winter fuel allowance because I don't want any pensioner going into this winter worried about putting the heating on.

"That's why I hope in the Budget the Chancellor will set out the support that she'll make available to those pensioners who ... aren't well off by any means. To make sure that they're not frightened to use the heating this winter.

"But I think it's fair to say the Chancellor's got a huge range of challenges. She's been bequeathed a toxic economic legacy by the previous government.

"There's lots of things that she needs to fix. The state of our public services, the fact that we've got a universal credit system that's not fit for purpose.

"But as I say I hope in the Budget she'll set out the support, not just for pensioners, but for those on low pay, those who are in receipt of things like sickness allowance. I think it's really important that she looks at all of those things."

TUC President Matt Wrack on Sunday warned that Sir Keir would face questions from unions about planned cuts to winter fuel payments.

It comes as the under-pressure Prime Minister is facing the threat of a Labour rebellion over the policy in a crunch Commons vote tomorrow.

A dozen Labour backbenchers have signed a motion put forward by one of the party's new MPs, Neil Duncan-Jordan, calling on the Government to delay implementing the measure.

The motion has also been signed by six of the seven Labour MPs who lost the whip in July after voting against the King's Speech over the Government's refusal to abolish the two-child benefit cap.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves sparked an intense backlash in July when she announced plans to restrict the payments of up to £300 to only those on pension credit.

She blamed the move - which will affect 10 million pensioners - on a £22 billion black hole in the public finances left by the Tories, which they have denied.