Keir Starmer defends winter fuel cut
PM says government must 'fix the foundations' despite criticism
Ahead of a key vote in parliament tomorrow, Keir Starmer has defended his "tough" decision to remove the winter fuel payment from most pensioners.
The decision to take away the payment, which is worth between £200-£300, from all but the poorest pensioners was made in July by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and will be voted on by MPs on Tuesday night.
There is "no chance" of tomorrow's vote being lost as few on the government benches are expected to vote against it, said The Guardian. However, a "significant number of absences" would indicate the "extent of disquiet" over the policy, which rebel MPs fear could lose the party votes and which one described as "a shitshow".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Speaking on the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg" in his first major interview at Downing Street yesterday, the prime minister said his new government was "going to have to be unpopular", but insisted he was "fixing the foundations" and that those in need would still get help.
Up to 50 MPs are believed to be struggling to support the policy, with about 30 expected to refuse to back the decision. Tomorrow's Commons vote has become a "key test of Starmer's authority", said The Times.
The PM has so far declined to say whether Labour MPs who vote against the cut will be suspended from the party. It was, he told Kuenssberg, "a matter for the chief whip". However, said The Guardian, after seven Labour MPs had the whip suspended for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, it's assumed that a similar rebellion would have the same outcome.
As well as MP discontent, Starmer is also facing pressure from trade union leaders. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham told BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme the government should be "big enough and brave enough to do a U-turn", while Paul Nowak, head of the Trades Union Congress, said on BBC "Breakfast" the chancellor should "rethink" her plans.
The cut, which "may have looked acceptable, even sensible on paper", looks increasingly like a "rookie mistake" on the part of the chancellor, said The Independent. Not that the government is "not entitled to make unpopular decisions", but if it does so "it needs to be aware of the likely response and be ready with its arguments", and in this instance "neither appears to have been the case".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 vice-laden cartoons about Dick Cheney
Cartoons Artists take on joyful feelings, dark endorsements, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Discover Ravenna's glittering treasures
The Week Recommends The 'magical' town is home to magnificent churches and excellent restaurants
By The Week UK Published
-
Sahra Wagenknecht: the left-wing populist who is Germany’s new kingmaker
In the Spotlight 'Glamorous and divisive enigma' has carved out a niche to be reckoned with by combining socialist policies with tough talk on immigration and Ukraine
By The Week UK Published
-
Mexico ratifies contentious judicial overhaul
Speed Read The reform pushed through by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will require all judges to be elected
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge axes North Dakota's near-total abortion ban
Speed Read A judge in the Republican-dominated state overturned the ban, citing a woman's 'fundamental right'
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
US demands answers in Israeli killing of US protester
Speed Read Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was likely killed by IDF soldiers while protesting in the West Bank
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Johnson pulls spending bill amid GOP revolt
Speed Read House Speaker Mike Johnson called off a planned vote on a stopgap spending package as odds of government shutdown increase
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine hits Moscow with large drone attack
Ukraine's strike was the biggest drone attack on the Russian capital to date
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Harris baits, debates Trump in feisty Philly face-off
Speed Read The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris quickly grew combative
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Maduro rival flees Venezuela for exile in Spain
Speed Read Former Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González fled as part of a negotiated deal with Nicolás Maduro’s government
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
DOJ charges 2 Russians for funding US far-right media
Speed Read Russia is running disinformation campaigns to influence US politics ahead of the 2024 election, officials say
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published