A furious Martin Lewis this morning demanded Labour minister Lisa Nandy ‘accept the truth’ over the hundreds of pensioners who should be getting the winter fuel payment and will not. Mr Lewis appeared on Good Morning Britain and questioned the culture secretary on the issue, clearly angry.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has cut the winter fuel allowance which is worth £2-300 to only those who claim Pensions Credit. This means that around 11 million people who previously got the cash boost to heat their homes in the coldest months won’t get it this year.
There are an estimated 880,000 people who are eligible for Pensions Credit who don’t claim it – and Mr Lewis said the government is not doing enough to get them to claim it – with more than 240 questions to answer and he also described many as the ‘hardest to reach’. On the show he asked Ms Nandy to ‘send them a bloody letter’ as currently it’s down to the pensioner or their family to apply.
He said that Labour’s claim of a 115 per cent uplift in numbers claiming Pensions Credit wouldn’t get anywhere near the numbers missing out: “You say the evidence is you’re talking an uplift of 115%. You’ve gone from 20,000 a month claiming pension credit to 40,000 a month. But there are 780,000 people. You would need an exponential rise in the number of people claiming pension credit for those pensioners to claim this year, we have to accept you have to accept There will be many hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners under 11,400 pounds income you will not reach this year.
“You are taking money out of their hands. Do you accept the truth? The reality is that’s what will practically happen. I’m saying it age UK saying it. Others are saying it. So let’s be honest. You’re willing to accept that collateral damage of hundreds of thousands of poorest pensioners, many on dementia, not getting the winter fuel payment?”
Ms Nandy replied: “No, I’m not willing to accept that. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve extended the cut off point to apply until April next year, so that even if people don’t realise right now, despite this sort of conversation happening on national media. Even if they don’t see this, if they don’t realise if they don’t respond to the letters, If we don’t manage to catch them door to door in the run up to Christmas and they find out later that they’re eligible, they can still apply and they will get it back dated.
“And the reason that we’ve done that and the reason that we made this announcement early and we haven’t wasted a moment in going out to people is to make sure that people know that even if they don’t apply immediately, they don’t have to worry about putting the heating on this winter.
“We are working in every creative way possible to make sure that this is done inherited a situation where for 14 years there has been no drive to get the poorest people on to pension credit and get them the money that they’re entitled to. But we are absolutely determined to solve it, and I don’t accept your characterization that we’re indifferent to this. I couldn’t care more about this. Neither could the chancellor, and we’re doing everything that we can with the work and Pensions secretary to deal with the fact that we’ve inherited this enormous black hole and this appalling economic inheritance.”
Viewers were not impressed with one saying: “Well what can I say. Labour used to be for the working class. Why has she come on GMB and announce money for the film industry. Thanks for grilling her.” Another added: “Brilliance from Martin Lewis. You make a difference. Can’t believe Labour have put pensioners in this position. Unbelievable.”