Crowds of furious protesters descended on central London to demonstrate against the scrap of the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners, demanding Sir Keir Starmer “change his mind” on the decision.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has previously affirmed that cutting the £300 benefit for around 10 million pensioners this winter is the “right decision”, despite furious backlash from Britons and political figures.
Taking to the streets of Westminster, members of Unite union, National Pensioners Convention and Scottish Pensioners Forum gathered to express their outrage against the cuts.
Speaking to GB News, one pensioner claimed that although he personally will not be amongst the most affected, Labour’s decision is “killing old people” and will result in “around 5,000 deaths” as temperatures plummet in the next few months.
Pensioners expressed their outrage at the cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment, which is affecting ten million people
GB News
The protester raged: “It won’t affect me as such, but it will affect at least two million people. And unfortunately, there’ll be empty chairs around the Christmas table.
“And that’s not right, because grandfathers and grandmothers won’t be there because of this. Three to five thousand people could die this winter, and that’s terrible.”
Hitting out at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the protester declared: “They didn’t let the the British public know what it was going to do, and that’s all wrong.
“Sir Keir – please change your mind. You’re killing old people, and that is not right.”
Protesters from the Unite union, National Pensioners Convention and Scottish Pensioners Forum gathered in central London to demonstrate against the cuts
PA
Speaking to more protesters at the demonstration, GB News presenter Patrick Christys was told about concerns for the younger generations as well as pensioners, and what Labour’s policies will mean for them in the future.
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She explained: “I’m quite concerned, not just for our generation who’ve lost out big time, because we’re like the sandwich generation that all these new things roll in during our lifetime.
“But our next generation, our grandchildren, what’s going to be left for them?
“I talk to my children and they think there’s going to be no state pension when they retire or when they become old, and he could easily solve the situation by taxing the rich, which he seems reluctant to do. He prefers to take the money from the vulnerable population.”
Also hitting out at the Labour government, one protester claimed that Starmer sees pensioners as an “easy target” as they are a “drain on the NHS”.
Pensioners told Patrick Christys that Labour are ‘out to kill pensioners’ with the scrap
GB News
She fumed: “I think they’re out to kill pensioners, to be quite honest. We’re a drain on the NHS, apparently.
“They can’t wait to get us out of hospitals – Boris Johnson didn’t bring in any care plan like he promised to do in 2019, that never happened. So basically, the more of us they can get rid of the less they’ve got to pay out. So they see us as an easy target.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners, with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock.
“Over a million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment, and our drive to boost pension credit take-up has already seen a 152 per cent increase in claims.
“Many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the Household Support Fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.”