BBC Question Time viewers furious as MPs get heating allowance despite Winter Fuel Payment cut
BBC Question Time returned to screens on Thursday night, with MPs and audience members alike engaging in a heated debate on the issue of winter fuel payments
by Phoebe Tonks · ChronicleLiveQuestion Time fans were outspoken in their criticism as the programme visited Ashton-under-Lyne, where they expressed their dismay at the Government's decision to cut the winter fuel payment for all but the least well-off pensioners during a particularly fiery debate.
The show witnessed a contentious moment when an audience member brought attention to the harsh reality faced by thousands of elderly individuals who will miss out on the £300 winter fuel payment designed to alleviate the cost of heating their homes. They pointed out that MPs, who earn annual salaries of £91,346 plus expenses, are entitled to claim up to £3,500 for their own heating bills, arguing that if politicians forwent this benefit, over 6,700 pensioners could be granted the winter fuel allowance instead.
A poignant question was put forward: "How do you justify withdrawing the payment from pensioners? ".
In response, Labour MP and Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, took the stage and conceded the significance of the issue, confessing that the reduction was a tough pill to swallow for many and not an action the government had taken lightly.
Lucy Powell commented: "Obviously we pay heating in our homes like everybody else, and we've seen those costs going up and up and up in recent years with inflation and energy costs going up. There's no denying this is a very difficult thing to do and it will be difficult for people. It's not something we came into government wanting to do at all", as reported by the Express, reports the Mirror.
Lucy characterised the financial shortfall inherited from the preceding administration as "bigger than expected" noting: "There is this big black hole, it is significant. For this financial year, that's the challenge."
In a discussion about whether MPs should turn down the heating allowance, Ms Powell did not reject the idea but rather underscored Labour's stance on the broad cancellation of the winter fuel benefit. She emphasised that the most disadvantaged elderly wouldn't be left without support and prompted them to claim pension credit to recover the benefit.
On a contrasting note, Conservative MP Graham Stuart, who has held ministerial roles in the past, criticised Labour's strategy, stating: "It's taking £300 away from the very poorest pensioners."
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He elaborated, contending: "The very poorest pensioners are not the pensioners on pension credit, very low income though they've got, it's the people that are eligible for it - but that for one reason or another, don't claim! ".
Lib Dem MP and ex-chief Tim Farron also weighed in, pinpointing a serious shortcoming in Labour's proposal. He pointed out that many elderly individuals will struggle with heating bills this season as their earnings are marginally too high to be deemed eligible for pension credit something he attributes to what he considers an exceedingly low income threshold.
He highlighted the stark reality for those on low incomes, saying: "The problem is to get pension credit, there's a really low threshold, or rather to miss out, is a really low threshold. So you can be on £12,800 a year - and you're earning too much to get pension credit. So you're on barely just over half the national minimum wage, and yet you're deemed to be well off enough to cope without it. That is outrageous! ".
Further addressing the dire situation faced by residents in his area, he added: "Some of them will have to choose between heating and eating, and in some cases, they won't be able to afford to do either."
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