Is W F P Going To Be Labour's Poll Tax?

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1943043/labour-rachel-reeves-winter-fuel-fury-pension-offer

 

[Old_Geezer]

I doubt it'd come to that, (one can refuse to pay a poll tax but it's difficult to continue taking a payment that isn't given) but it'll have an effect on their support at the next GE.

[Cloverjo]

The winter fuel payment should never have been given to all pensioners in the first place. 
 

Rachel Reeves is doing the sensible thing. No one is going to freeze to death. We're not in the Arctic Circle. And poorer pensioners will still get it. 

[Deskdiary]

Lucy Powell has stated (on finding savings because of the 'blackhole' and the withdrawal of the WFA) "And why we had to do that was because if we didn't, we could have seen the markets losing confidence, potentially a run on the pound [and] the economy crashing..."

 

I can't bear politcians treating the electorate as idiots, as Ms Powell is here. Granted the likes of Gulliver will believe her because she's a Labour MP, but politicians of all hues should give the electorate a bit more respect - it's insulting the way they think we're stupid. She has said not taking away the WFA of £2bn could contribute to the economy crashing, and yet they've started to pay off their union paymasters and are going ahead with giving almost £12bn to foreign sihtholes for climate change purposes. If £2bn could contribute to the economy crashing, why wouldn't 6 x that amount for foreign climate change?

 

[newmodarmy]

Why wasn't it in their manifesto then, I wonder.

I agree that a lot of pensioners don't need the WFA.

But I note 'poorer pensioners' are defined as those earning £218.15 pw if you're single, £332.95 if you're a couple.

So presumably, those earning sat £220 pw or £335 are not  deemed to be poor enough.

Yet the National Living Wage is set at £11.44, which is £400 pw for a single person or £800pw for a couple based on 35 hours a week. 

 

[ToraToraTora]

08:39 you forgot the £11.6bn gifted to random foreigners for "climate change initiatives" - our pensioners can freeze but we'll buy Chief mumbojumbo his 12th rolls royce! Nice!

[newmodarmy]

^Desk Diary did cover that, ToraToraTora.