Winter fuel cuts could have fatal consequences - MP

Zarah Sultana said she voted against the Labour government because she needed "to be able to sleep at night"

An MP has warned of “fatal consequences” after the government won a vote which will see millions of pensioners lose winter fuel payments.

Independent MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, told the BBC thousands of people in her constituency would be affected.

The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the measure was necessary to stabilise the economy and that the government was putting "mitigations" in place.

Zarah Sultana, who is currently suspended by the Labour Party, voted against the government and in favour of a motion to block the cut in winter fuel payment.

“I've had constituents who have told me that they will probably freeze to death. That's them, in their words, I'm quoting," she said.

“They've told me that they have chronic, obstructive pulmonary disease and live in fear of getting a chest infection and that they can't afford to heat their homes increasing their risk.

"You know, there is research to show that cold homes kill and this policy could have fatal consequences."

Labour said the changes to the winter fuel payment were necessary to stabilise the economy

The winter fuel payments of either £200 or £300 are normally made in November and December and will still be paid to all pensioners claiming pension credit to top up a low income.

A No 10 spokeswoman said the government was committed to “supporting the most vulnerable”, pointing to the increased uptake in the credit as well as providing support through the Warm Home Discount and the Household Support Fund.

Asked about the move to means-test the benefit, Ms Sultana said: “For me, universality is a key principle. Here we have universal provision so no-one slips through the cracks.”

Ms Sultana was suspended by Labour in July for defying the Labour whip and voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

“I have to stand up for what I believe are the true values of the Labour Party and in doing so I've made difficult decisions in terms of defying the whip," she said.

"But I need to be able to sleep at night, knowing that I'm protecting the most vulnerable in my constituency.”

On Tuesday, Ms Sultana was joined by two other Warwickshire MPs in voting to block the cut in winter fuel payment - Kenilworth and Southam's Conservative MP Jeremy Wright and Manuela Perteghella, the Liberal Democrat MP for Stratford-on-Avon.

The remaining six MPs across Coventry and Warwickshire are all Labour and voted against blocking the cut.

Labour's Rugby MP John Slinger said the government was encouraging eligible people to sign up for pension credit so they could get the winter fuel payment

One of the six was Rugby MP John Slinger who said in a statement the winter fuel payment was previously provided "in an untargeted manner".

He added the government was doing “all it can” to encourage more people to sign up to pension credit.

“We know that up to 880,000 pensioners are not claiming the pension credit to which they are rightly entitled,” he added.

At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Conservative leader Rishi Sunak said the Sir Keir was "taking money away from pensioners on £13,000".

The Labour leader said his party's commitment to the triple lock - which guarantees pensions rise in line with average wages, inflation or by 2.5% - would ensure an increase in pension payments that would "outstrip any loss of payment".