Keir Starmer faces fresh pressure over winter fuel cuts as petition passes huge milestone
Petition by Silver Voices to save winter fuel payments for pensioners hits 100,000 signatures.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing fresh pressure over winter fuel payment cuts after a petition demanding a U-turn passed 100,000 signatures.
The petition by the Silver Voices campaign group for older people hit the major milestone today.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer saw off a Labour rebellion to ram through the controversial policy to limit the allowance to only the poorest pensioners in a crunch Commons vote earlier this week.
Silver Voices director Dennis Reed said: "The Chancellor and Prime Minister must take account of the widespread anger from older people that their essential winter fuel support is being scrapped.
"With the current cold snap in many parts of the UK I am already hearing from members who are struggling to keep warm.
"Now that Labour has shown its authority over its MPs it is time for the Government to compromise, by ensuring in the budget that energy support is provided to all those pensioners on modest incomes".
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves sparked a backlash in July when she announced that winter fuel payments would be restricted to only those on pension credit.
She blamed a £22 billion black hole in the public finances left by the Tories, which they have denied.
The payments of up to £300 a year were previously available to all pensioners regardless of income or benefits.
The policy will reduce the number of recipients from about 10.8 million last winter to an estimated 1.5 million this year, saving £1.3 billion.
MPs voted 348 to 228 in favour of the move last Tuesday, rejecting a Conservative bid for the measure to be blocked.
But the Government has been under pressure from the Tories to publish an impact assessment of the plan.
The Prime Minister on Friday insisted there isn't a report on my desk" showing the impact of his Government's decision to strip the allowance from millions of pensioners.
Downing Street confirmed that a full impact assessment of the change had not been carried out.
The Daily Express is campaigning for winter fuel payments to be saved for all pensioners.
