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.”
That’s it, their main problem is their messaging and the story they are trying to tell is dreadful.
It should have been about spreading the load, everyone doing their bit according to their means - so tax winter fuel payments so you get most of it back from wealthy pensioners but also take a big chunk off millionaires and companies not laying their bit. Then invest that in growth, a Green New Deal helping insulated poorer housing stock which would help boost the green energy industry bringing prices down for everyone while generating more skilled jobs.
At the moment they seem to think that, if they cause the pain now, people will forget about by the time of the election if we are out of the current economic dire straits. Which is foolish as the Tory press will just store this kind of thing up to use as sticks to beat them with later and people just don’t forgive or forget easily (especially if there is a cold snap and the papers fill with stories of pensioners dying because they can’t afford to turn the heating on).