£300 Winter Fuel Payments could be saved after Labour loses conference vote

The leadership has lost a highly anticipated motion at the party’s conference that called on ministers to reverse the cuts to the £300 payouts from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The Labour Party government has lost a conference vote on the Winter Fuel Payments. The leadership has lost a highly anticipated motion at the party’s conference that called on ministers to reverse the cuts to the £300 payouts from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Members of Unite and the Communications Workers Union co-sponsored the motion had accused party officials of seeking to silence the unions as the debate had been moved from Monday. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, opened the debate, criticising Starmer for removing the allowance while “leaving the super-rich untouched”.

Speaking to a loud applause, she told delegates: “Our public services and British industry need investment now. It’s no good having sympathy for workers at Grangemouth losing their jobs: They don’t need pity, they need Labour to step up to the plate and not allow a billionaire, who buys a football club as a hobby, to throw these workers on the scrapheap.”

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She added: “We are the sixth richest economy in the world, we have the money. Britain needs investment, not austerity mark II. We won’t get any gold badge for shaving peanuts off our debt.” She added: “It’s the wrong decision, and it needs to be reversed.”

Maggie Cosin, a delegate from Dover and Deal, spoke and defendedthe winter fuel payments cut. She explained she gets £200 a year from the winter fuel payment, and gives it to a food bank but she does not need it, and snd she says the increase in the value of the pension is worth far more anyway.

She describes this motion as “an emotional spasm” and she says delegates should not vote against the leadership to give the Telegraph a story to “bash” the government with. Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, addressed the conference earlier, before Sharon spoke.