Unions win non-binding vote on winter fuel cuts

Unions have won a non-binding vote at the Labour Party conference calling on the government to reverse its cuts to winter fuel payments.

In an impassioned speech to Labour activists, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said she "did not understand" how the new Labour government could target pensioners while leaving "the super-rich untouched".

"This is not what people voted for. It's the wrong decision and it needs to be reversed," she told the hall.

Addressing the subject in his conference speech on Tuesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he understood people's concerns but that he did not want to "risk" the public finances.

He added that "stabilising" the economy was "the only way we keep prices low, cut NHS waiting lists and secure the triple lock so that every pensioner in this country will be better off with Labour".

Although the vote will not force a change in position, the defeat for Labour’s leadership on one of the first controversial decisions they have made in government underlines the unease in the party over this issue.

The vote had originally been expected on Monday and threatened to overshadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves' speech.

However, in a move the Unite union labelled an "outrage" the vote was shifted to the last day of the conference, when many delegates had left the conference.

On Wednesday morning, campaigners staged a protest in the conference exhibition hall with supporters of Unite's motion chanting “save the winter fuel”.

Addressing the conference hall, Graham said the Labour government of 1945, which came to the power at a time of high public debt, had not talked about cuts or austerity but acted to make "lasting change" and "built an NHS on the back of a crisis".

She contrasted that with the current government saying: "People simply do not understand, I do not understand, how our new Labour government can cut the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and leave the super-rich untouched."

One Labour member Maggie Cosin argued against the motion saying she did not need the payment and the money could be better spent elsewhere.

"Every single year, £200 comes into my bank account and every year I go and buy stuff for the food bank with it," she told the conference.

The motion, which was passed by a show of hands, also called for a wealth tax and an end to the government's self-imposed rules which prevent the government from borrowing money to invest.

Speaking after the vote, Graham told the BBC it reflected the feeling "in the real world".

She said Rachel Reeves should now "U-turn" adding: "Leadership is also about acknowledging when you've made a mis-step."

About 10 million pensioners are expected to lose their payment this winter, but supporters of means-testing say the payment is not needed by many.

Responding to the vote, Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC's Politics Live programme the government “don’t have the luxury of ducking the difficult choices and decisions".

"I’m not sure we were ever going to persuade Sharon," he added.

The motion to reverse the decision was put forward by Unite, one of the country's biggest unions, and seconded by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents postal workers and the banking sector, among others.

Earlier in the day, Streeting delivered his speech to the conference and reiterated his previous claim that the NHS was "broken" and "letting people down".

Some senior sources in the health service have told the BBC his comments could lead to patients putting off getting help and risked damaging staff morale.

However, Streeting stuck by his stance telling the conference: "I know the doctor's diagnosis can sometimes be hard to hear but if you don't have an accurate diagnosis, you won't provide the correct prescription.

"So I say respectfully but unequivocally: I won’t back down. The NHS is broken, but it’s not beaten and together we will turn it around."

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall also spoke, with Phillipson promising to increase the number of nursery places available.

The conference closed with delegates singing The Red Flag and Jerusalem.