Darlington residents react to Starmer’s winter fuel payment U-turn
But today Sir Keir Starmer signalled a partial U-turn over the Government’s decision to strip the payments from millions of pensioners, saying that “as the economy improves”, he wants to look at widening eligibility for the payments worth up to £300.
Charlotte Ambrose went into the streets of Darlington for The Northern Echo to gauge the public’s reaction to today’s news.
One couple named Pat and Colin, both aged 82, said that several of their friends have been missing out on payments ever since the decision was made in July 2024.
Colin, who did not wish to give his surname, said: “It doesn’t bother me so much, I can afford it. But there’s a lot of people who are struggling right now. Whether they’ll do anything about it, I don’t know. But if he doesn’t, he’ll never get in again.”
It is because of the original decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance, that Colin said that he will be voting for Reform and that Labour has lost his vote.
He thinks the Government made a “big mistake” by scrapping the allowance in the first place, and is sceptical of Labour’s decision to go back on it.
He also echoed the popular view this U-turn simply isn’t good enough and that “they should be back to what it was” before the cuts.
Alan Telford, 68, is a Tory voter and pensioner who lost £400 when the WFP was cut back in the summer of last year. He said that Mr Starmer’s decision demonstrates the carelessness of the Labour Party’s policies.
“Well, why did [he] make the decision in the first place? Okay, he’s done a U-turn but is that due to party pressure, public pressure, I don’t know,” he said.
Regardless of the motivation, Alan said he the still supported their decision to ease up on the cuts.
But he pointed out that this decision “is a drop in the ocean”, compared to the millions of people who will still be unable to receive their money.
This was a common theme, as many of the people we spoke to thought that the decision was too little too late.
One woman, 58-year-old Barbara, raised a similar concern.
“My mother’s 90 and she sits with blankets on rather than putting the heating on because she’s scared of how much things are costing these days and it’s just terrifying,” she said.
When asked if she had confidence in whether Mr Starmer will be able to live up to his promise, and ease the winter fuel payment cuts, she said: “I’m old enough now to know that promises are exactly that – promises. It doesn’t really matter which government, it’s always the same.”
One younger Darlington resident, Helen, aged 33, expressed some optimism, saying: “It sounds like a positive thing that they’re doing with the whole ‘we should re-assess this’ thing because the people who need help should a million per cent get help.
“Life is very difficult right now and we shouldn’t have people worrying about if they’re going to freeze to death.”
But she wasn’t confident that this decision would be implemented.
She said: “My issue with them [Labour] is, you’ve said you’re going to do something, but what are you actually going to do? It seems like so many words and they don’t actually seem to do anything.”
Some MPs have been reacting to Mr Starmer’s announcement today. Sam Rushworth, MP for Bishop Auckland, welcomed the decision, but accepted that this might have contributed to feelings of distrust.
“One of the political consequences of the decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Allowance is that people who felt the government was not on their side have switched off and will not see all the good that is being done to strengthen the economy and improve public services,” he said.
The MP for Darlington, Lola McEvoy, reaffirmed the Labour sentiment that “the country’s finances do not currently allow for universal winter fuel support”.
She said that she has been working closely with both Darlington Council and the Government to ensure the Government-funded Household Support Fund prioritises extra help for the poorest pensioners in Darlington, including those just above the Pension Credit threshold by up to £1,000.
She said that she is hopeful that “this approach will ensure more targeted support reaches those who need it most”.