Southwark Lib Dems on Winter Fuel Payments U-turn: “People in our area deserve an apology from the Prime Minister”

Responding to the Prime Minister saying that more pensioners will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments next winter, Southwark Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Cllr Rachel Bentley said: 

“The world’s longest u-turn continues. This will be cold comfort to many vulnerable pensioners in Southwark who lost out on vital payments last winter, some of whom were over the earnings threshold by just a few pounds.  

“Keir Starmer’s backtrack is far too late for the millions of pensioners forced to freeze in their own homes over the winter.  

“People in our area deserve an apology from the Prime Minister and his Southwark cheerleaders, not vague words that will take months to materialise into something meaningful.”  

This comes after all 5 Southwark Labour MPs failed to oppose the cuts in Parliament in September last year, and the Southwark Labour group unanimously shot down a motion from the Liberal Democrats condemning the cuts.  

The Labour-run council had also u-turned last winter - initially rejecting a Liberal Democrat proposal to roll out a local scheme to support those affected by the cuts - but later announcing a fund for that purpose.