The Government's own independent advisory committee has confirmed what we have been saying all along: the decision to suddenly remove the winter fuel payment from 10million pensioners has been rushed through without proper consideration.
This policy will leave vulnerable pensioners out in the cold this winter. The Chancellor must now listen to reason and reverse this decision at the Budget.
The scathing report by the Social Security Advisory Committee exposes a number of critical flaws in this poorly thought-through policy.
From Labour’s failure to produce an impact assessment to the lack of proper protections for those on child tax credit, housing benefit and in poverty. The report leaves no stone unturned.
It also confirms the Express’ revelation yesterday, that many pensioners risk not having their pension credit claims processed in time for the winter.
Unlike Labour’s union paymasters, who were hastily given billions of taxpayers’ money, pensioners will have to make the impossible choice between heating and eating this winter.
This report has also made clear that the calculations of the money this policy would save the Exchequer appears to have been done on the back of a fag packet.
Labour politicians’ sums have never added up, why did we think they would start now?
On top of all the ethical, moral and practical reasons not to ram through this callous decision the report blows the lid off the savings argument put forward by Rachel Reeves to justify it.
It is high time Reeves did the right thing and reversed this heartless decision.
Her budget in just a fortnight’s time is the moment to step back, do the right thing and cancel this heartless policy.
