Furious protesters gathered outside Parliament today for a rally against cuts.
The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) and Scottish Pensioners Forum have joined forces with the Unite union for what they described as a mass lobby.
The demonstration took place near Parliament Square and was addressed by speakers including Unite general secretary Sharon Graham and Labour MP John McDonnell.
Ms Graham urged Prime Minister Sir to U-turn on the controversial policy.
She told the Express: “He has to reverse the decision, it’s really clear. We’re the sixth richest economy in the world and we are picking the pocket of pensioners. It’s totally and utterly wrong and he needs to reverse the decision.
“I think there’s going to be a huge amount of pensioners who get ill if they do not put on their heating. Older people are more prone to cold and heat.
“But of course, if at the worst case, you’ve got a situation where pensioners could die, you don’t need to be in this situation, he needs to reverse the decision.”
Protesters gathered outside Parliament for the rally against winter fuel cuts (Image: Getty)
Protesters carry signs and banners at the demonstration (Image: Getty)
Protesters carry a sign aimed at Chancellor Rachel Reeves (Image: Getty)
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“Leadership is also about knowing when you’re made a misstep, when you’ve made an error, when you’ve made a mistake. This is a mistake, he needs to reverse it.
“The winter is coming, we haven’t just had it, it’s just about to come onto us and there will be people in dire straits as a result of this.”
Ms Graham added that Unite would “absolutely” be continuing its campaign against winter fuel cuts.
She said: “This is the beginning, you can see how many people are here at very short notice. Unite’s got 100,000 pensioners in our union, we’ve got a million workers who will be the pensioners of the future and we’re going to do everything we can to get this U-turn.”
NPC general secretary Jan Shortt added: “There’s so much disrespect for older people.
“This was never in the Labour Party manifesto, it came as an absolute shock and there’s been no actual adequate explanation why the urgency to do it this year. We are the sixth richest economy in the world and they choose to steal from pensioners so we’re angry.”
John McDonnell, who currently sits as an independent MP after losing the whip for rebelling in a vote on the two-child benefit cap, urged the PM to “think again on this urgently”.
The former shadow chancellor, who represents Hayes and Harlington, said:”As soon as this was introduced I knew it was a mistake.
“I’ve always supported the , the winter fuel allowance and I couldn’t believe a Labour government was doing it.
“I think excess deaths may go up, it’s really damaging for the Governemnt if that does happen but obviously the loss of life for those people. But also even if there isn’t loss of life, people will be flooding our hospitals, this is just a huge mistake.
“We’ve got three weeks to the Budget, we hope they’re going to turn it around.”
Dennis Reed, director of the Silver Voices campaign group, said: “People have travelled all over the country but people who depend most on these payments are not able to come because they’re too frail perhaps, their ill health doesn’t allow them to do so, or they can’t afford to travel to London with the cost of public transport.
“So we’re here representing all those millions around the country who will fall into fuel poverty if this policy goes through.
“My message is they appear to have been having a reset with the change of staff in 10 Downing Street. A real reset would be have a look at this policy, you know this policy is wrong, you’re sticking to it stubbornly.
“I think there would be huge applause if the Government recognised it had made a mistake and did a U-turn at the Budget on October 30.”
Unite’s Sharon Graham speaks at the rally (Image: Getty)
Independent MP John McDonnell addresses protesters outside Parliament (Image: Getty)
Silver Voices director Dennis Reed speaks at the rally (Image: Getty)
Following Monday’s rally, campaigners will meet MPs in Parliament this afternoon.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves sparked a major backlash in July when she announced plans to restrict winter fuel payments to only those on pension credit.
She blamed a £22 billion black hole in the public finances left by the , which they have denied.
The controversial move will see around 10 million pensioners lose out on the allowance and is expected to save around £1.3 billion in the first year.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with over 12 million set to see their rise by £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the .
“Given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it’s right we target support to those who need it most. Over a million pensioners will still receive the , while many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with their energy bills over winter as well as the household support fund.
“Since our awareness campaign, we have seen a 152% increase in claims, and we urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to check their eligibility.”