REACTION: Winter Fuel Payment U-Turn
The UK Government has announced that they will u-turn on their decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment, reintroducing the scheme for 75% of people previously eligible.
Reacting to the reinstatement Scottish Greens Social Security spokesperson Maggie Chapman MSP said:
“Cutting the Winter Fuel Payment was one of the first acts of this Labour government. Elected on a promise of ‘change’ they brought in sweeping austerity that harmed older people across the UK at a time when the cost of living remains sky high.
“There is no doubt that the damage has already been done, families will have lost loved ones, and illnesses will have been caused over the winter months because of the brutal decision by Rachel Reeves and the Labour Government.
“Labour’s cutting of the Winter Fuel Payment, refusal to end the two-child benefit cap and regressive austerity measures are forcing people into poverty in Scotland and across the UK
"The reinstatement of the Winter Fuel Payment for some is a welcome move, but we must go further, the Labour government must end the two-child benefit cap which hits working class families the hardest, and they must reverse their cruel austerity policies.
“Poverty isn't inevitable; it’s a political policy, a policy which Rachel Reeves has forced upon hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. If Keir Starmer has any shame, he would finally call an end to her disastrous time as Chancellor.”