Cutting winter fuel payments for most pensioners looks set to blow up in Labour’s face this week, with campaigners from both Labour and the opposition warning it could be a major reason for voters turning against them at the local elections.
With some English voters heading to the polls on Thursday to pick councillors and mayors, Labour is already bracing for a rough night. Reform UK are favourites to snatch the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, and both the Lib Dems and Greens are tipped to make gains too.
Labour’s popularity has been sliding for a while, with sluggish economic growth and growing grumbles about how the Government is handling public services. But insiders reckon the decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners – a payment worth up to £300 a year – is what’s really hitting home on the doorstep.
One Labour source admitted it “comes up on every door” canvassers knock on. Lib Dem campaigners are hearing the same thing, saying it’s the number one “totemic” issue that’s fuelling voter anger at the moment.
One Labour MP put it bluntly: “People elected us as the Tories had completely lost the trust of the public, we have not won that trust, decisions like [cutting] winter fuel payments have led to the opposite, Reform are filling that gap”, reported MSN.
Another MP, speaking to The i Paper, admitted they were “deeply concerned” about the situation, adding: “I am watching Reform like a hawk. Labour is playing these elections very low-key. Reform is clearly positioning itself in the media, but I expect that its operation on the ground is fairly weak, although there is some targeting. I am expecting their share of the vote to rise, and they will take seats, as will the Greens.”
Inside Government, Starmer’s allies are said to be worried about Reform’s steady rise, especially as Nigel Farage’s party has now edged ahead of Labour in national opinion polls.
“They have the data and know what the set of issues are, and it’s all about left-behind bits of the country that have really had four decades of a lack of investment,” said one MP who has spoken with No 10 about the threat.
Labour MPS whose seats were nearly taken by Reform last time have been meeting regularly, trying to figure out how to hold off the challenge from the right.
One MP from the West Midlands defended the party’s record, saying: “I think the Labour Government actually is responding to local government needs, especially given the underfunding that we’ve seen under the Tories. People are quite impatient for change, and it will take time.”
Don’t Miss These:
- LBC Listeners Rip Into Yvette Cooper After She Dodges Simple Questions Live On Air
- King Charles and Queen Camilla’s key meeting announced after Meghan’s tearful interview
- BBC’s Jon Kay Shares Heartbreaking News About Beloved Guest
- Celebrity Big Brother Vote Breakdown in Full Reveals Chris Hughes Crushing Defeat
- UK and EU Defy Trump with Bold New Pact—Major Move to Boost Trade and Security Sparks Global Buzz
