Labour members at the party’s conference have voted in favour of a motion calling for ministers to reverse their cut to the winter fuel allowance, in an embarrassing blow to Sir Keir Starmer.
While there is nothing binding about the vote, it puts further pressure on the Labour leadership over its controversial decision to take away the benefit from millions of pensioners.
The motion was put forward by the trade union Unite, which has accused the government of embarking on “austerity mark two”.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite and outspoken critic of Sir Keir, moved the proposal by quoting Labour’s election winning post-war manifesto, which she said was “one of hope”.
She said: “The nation wants food, work and homes… It wants a high and rising standard of living, security for all, against a rainy day…”
“Friends, that’s a quote from the 1945 Labour Manifesto, written in the shadow of death, destruction and debt, caused by years of war. A manifesto of hope.”
Ms Graham said debt then was “nearly three times higher than it is now” but there was “no mention of cuts, no mention of austerity and certainly no mention of making everyday people pay”.
She added: "I do not understand how our new Labour government can cut the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and leave the super-rich untouched.
“This is not what people voted for. It is the wrong decision and needs to be reversed.”
Problem is that means testing often actually hinders many people who actually need help. Not every one is good with filling out forms and doing these applications. Not everyone knows how to apply and how to get assistance. And sometimes applications fail for strange reasons. Plus the cut off may screw people who were reliant on it but just don’t meet the right threshold.