‘You are on your own sunshine!’ Alastair Stewart FURIOUS as he is left without Winter Fuel Allowance – ‘This is nonsense’
Alastair Stewart has been left fuming at the decision to cut Winter Fuel payments, and claimed that the Government is telling him “you are on your own, sunshine”.
Thousands of pensioners across the UK will feel the pinch as their Winter Fuel Payments have been slashed as the Labour Government attempts to fill the financial ‘black hole’.
Over the weekend Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended his choice and told the BBC his Government is “going to have to be unpopular” as he defended his “tough” decision to cut Winter Fuel Payments.
Speaking to GB News, the broadcast legend Alastair Stewart said: “The fact of the matter is that if you, like many people including my good self, when you were working full time you put a bit aside and built up some savings for a rainy day or are still trying to work even now in retirement every now and then.
“You very quickly hit the ceiling which means you can’t get any pensioner credit. So it means that you cannot get the winter fuel allowance.
“I think at its heart, Labour believes the state knows best and the state will look after people that really need it. If you stand on your own two feet and try and look after yourself, you’re on your own sunshine.
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“That’s where I, and thousands of others as well, will see the biggest trade union, kicking in and telling Starmer exactly what they want.
“That’s reminiscent of the old days when I was an industrial correspondent and the Transport and General Workers Union, which became Unite, used to go into Downing Street and tell Labour Prime Ministers exactly what they wanted and nine times at it.
“I don’t think Unite is going to get their way this time on the Winter Fuel allowance, but I think it’s an outrage. I think it’s much deeper than just a few quid.”
Explaining why he thinks that have taken the decision, he added: “A lot of people still don’t think that when push comes to shove, the Labour Party can be trusted with the economy.
“So I think what Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are both saying in perfect harmony is, yes, you can trust us with the economy.
“We are prepared to take even really tough decisions at the expense of pensioners to show that we will do the right thing to try and balance the books.
“Of course, that’s complete nonsense. They’ll get nowhere near balancing the books because the national debt is trillions and trillions of pounds.
“It does mean that many people will lose out a small amount of money for the sake of political capital.”
The Winter Fuel payments will now be means-tested, meaning that many of the older generation could lose out on the extra cash.
Struggling pensioners need to claim benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), including Pension Credit, to receive up to £300 in support.
This comes ahead of an expected energy bill hike in October as Ofgem prepares to raise the price cap once again.