Britain’s Labor Party members today dealt a blow to Keir Starmer’s government by voting to restore the heating allowance for millions of pensioners, which the new government decided to scrap.
The issue weighed on Labour’s annual conference from Sunday in Liverpool, the first since Labor returned to power after winning the July 4 general election.
And the result of the vote, while not binding on the government, remains sensitive for Keir Starmer who has vowed not to pursue austerity.
The new government has decided that these benefits, paid in winter, will now only go to the poorest pensioners.
He justified his decision by citing budget constraints, but it drew fire from unions and the opposition, who accused him of impoverishing the elderly as winter approaches.
Speaking in Liverpool yesterday, Tuesday, Keir Starmer said he would take this “unpopular” decision.
On the occasion of the Labor conference, during which members can express their opinion on the positions proposed by the party, two unions tabled a motion – only symbolic in scope – asking for its restoration.
It was originally due to be debated on Monday, but its consideration was postponed by the party leadership until today, the last day of the conference, when many members have already left, angering her supporters, including the Unite trade union.
Shortly before the vote, MPs gathered chanting “Save the heating allowance” near the Unite bench.
“People don’t understand (…) how our new Labor government can scrap the heating allowance for pensioners without bothering the very rich. This is not what the people voted for. It is the worst decision and it must be cancelled”, said Sharon Graham, general secretary of the union.
The result of the vote, which was taken by a show of hands, caused applause in the large conference room.
A government spokesman confirmed after the consultation that the government “will take difficult decisions” saying it was elected on the basis of a program of “respect for fiscal rules and economic growth”.
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