A new petition has been launched urging the new Labour Government to “stop means-testing” older Britons on the state pension.
Pensioners have spoken against the Government’s decision to reserve the Winter Fuel Payment for those on means-tested benefits from the Department for Work and Pension (DWP).
Going forward, households will need to be in receipt of support such as Pension Credit to claim up to £300 in energy bill assistance.
Michael Thompson, the petition’s creator is calling for the means-testing of retirement benefits to stop and for the rate paid by the state pension to be increased.
Under the triple lock, payments are increased every year by either the rate of inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent; whichever is higher.
Currently, Thompson’s petition only has 62 signatures and needs 10,000 to be debated in Parliament with the deadline being May 11, 2025.
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Pensioners are angry over the Government’s decision to means-test pension benefits
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The petition creator stated: “We demand the Government stop means testing pensioners, that we think is a degrading and humiliating practice.
“We also think the state pension should be increased. We believe that for too long, our elderly have been portrayed by media as merely burdens on the NHS and the modern welfare state.
“We think that the elderly should be entitled to a decent pension and a comfortable lifestyle as many will have already paid into the system for longer than the rest of the population by now.
“We believe any Government should have a responsibility toward our nation’s elderly people.
“In the Victorian era, retirement was often only an option for those who had accrued wealth. Are we regressing back to those Dickensian times? We believe means testing is an abhorrent practice that is demeaning and intrusive.”
Over the summer, comments from a senior adviser to Labour resulted in widespread outrage over his stance on the future of the state pension.
Sir Edward Troup, a former executive for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) who advised the Chancellor, previously called for means-testing.
During an interview with LCB, Troup floated that idea that state pensioners should “contribute possibly more” to the tax man.
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MPs voted to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment in September GB NEWS
He explained: “My generation, the pensioners’ generation, if they’ve got income, if they’ve got means, should be contributing at least as much.
“Possibly more than those people who are working, bringing up families and are really contributing now to that country.”
During the Autumn Budget, Rachel Reeves confirmed the state pension would increase by 4.1 per cent in line with the triple lock.
No plans are in place to means-test the state pension itself.