Sir Keir Starmer is facing a potentially damaging vote at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, with members set to debate a motion calling for cuts to winter fuel payment to be reversed.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision in July to scrap the payment for all pensions except those receiving means-tested benefits has proved divisive, and many unions are urging her to scrap the policy.
The issue has overshadowed Labour’s first conference in power, with protests planned and major union backers vocally criticising the party.
What is the winter fuel vote at the Labour Party conference?
Delegates at the party conference in Liverpool have agreed on 15 motions which will be debated and voted on throughout the proceedings.
One of these, which has been put forward by Unite and the Communication Workers Union (CWU), calls on the Government to “reverse the introduction of means-testing for the Winter Fuel Allowance”.
The motion said: “Britain cannot wait for growth, nor turn back to failed austerity.
“We need a vision where pensioners are not the first to face a new wave of cuts and those that profited from decades of deregulation finally help to rebuild Britain.”
Additionally, it calls for the “fiscal rules which prevent borrowing to invest” brought in under the previous Conservative administration and for the introduction of wealth taxes to ensure there are “no further cuts to welfare provision for working people and pensioners”.
They propose taxing the top 1 per cent, equalising capital gains tax with income tax and applying national insurance to investment income.
When will the winter fuel vote take place at Labour Party conference?
The exact timing of the debate and vote on the winter fuel payment motion has not been confirmed, but there have been reports that the session has been pushed to Wednesday – the final day of the conference.
But this has attracted anger from Unite and CWU after they were told late on Sunday night of the planned timing.
Officials told PA that many CWU delegates will not be at the conference on Wednesday as they will be attending a funeral in Scotland for the union’s former assistant general secretary, Andy Kerr.
One union official told the agency that the move was “weak politics and shows a lack of leadership”, adding: “It should be debated today”.
Can the vote reverse the winter fuel decision?
Motions at the party conference are non-binding, and the Government is not required to respond to them.
But if the motion is passed, it could prove very damaging for Keir Starmer at his first conference in power amid a strong backlash to the decision to bring in means-testing for winter fuel payments for pensioners.
There have been reports that the Chancellor could have an extra £10bn headroom at her Budget next month, although the exact calculations by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are not known.
Even if there is extra cash to spend, it is considered very unlikely that Rachel Reeves will use her Budget to announce a U-turn on the winter fuel decision.
With Labour having only been in power since July, any move to reverse major decisions could be politically damaging as the Government tries to consolidate its position and deliver on its manifesto promises.
What have unions said about the decision to cut winter fuel payments?
A protest is due to be held on Sunday outside the Labour conference venue in Liverpool on Monday to highlight pensioner concerns about the cute to winter fuel payments.
In a statement ahead of the protest, Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “The government’s winter fuel policy needs to be reversed.
“Targeting everyday people without much money is not a tough choice – it is a mistake. There is no reason why we have to choose between paying workers and keeping pensioners warm.”
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has also criticised the move. He told a fringe meeting at the conference that the decision was “politically inept” and that “ordinary voters are baffled by the decision”.
Alongside the protest, Unite has also unveiled billboards around the Liverpool conference centre with the slogan “defend the winter fuel payment” next to an image of an older person warming themselves by a heater.
