Dr Neil Hudson MP stands up for the many pensioners in Epping Forest who could be without their Winter Fuel Payments under new Labour Plans. Over 17,000 pensioners receive these payments in Epping Forest and it is unclear at this stage how many will lose them with this new policy from Labour.
As such, Dr Hudson has supported the Conservative Party's new Early Day Motion which challenges the Government to hold a debate on Winter Fuel Payments.
The Government laid The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 Statutory Instrument (SI) on the 22nd August. Under Parliamentary procedure the Government does not have to provide time for the SI to be debated, despite the heavy criticism of Labour for announcing it would cut the Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners. A survey this week found that 59 per cent of people are against this cut.
The Conservative Party have taken the steps to submit this Early Day Motion to ensure that this matter is debated before Parliament, allowing Members of Parliament to put forward the views of many of their constituents.
The SI also reveals that the Labour Government have taken this decision to hit decision to hit pensioners despite there not being “a full impact assessment….produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, public or voluntary sectors is foreseen.”
In the winter of 2022-23, the latest available data, there were 17,692 recipients of winter Fuel Payments in Dr Hudson's Epping Forest Constituency. It is unclear how many of these payments could be put at risk.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest, said:
"This is a tremendously misguided policy from the new Labour Government that could see millions of pensioners across the country struggle to keep warm this winter - and it is a policy I wholeheartedly disagree with.
"We must give people the dignity and agency they deserve in retirement and this is exactly why we need a debate on Winter Fuel Payments.
"With energy prices set to increase this is simply the wrong policy at the wrong time."
Laura Trott MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, added:
“Labour’s disastrous decision to scrap Winter Fuel Payments must be held to account.
“This Labour government has tried to avoid scrutiny in parliament for the consequences of their actions, but the public deserve better.
“On behalf of the ten million pensioners left on the hook for Labour’s political prioritisation of their union paymasters, we are determined to ensure this issue is debated.”
The Conservative Party have submitted this motion:
“That a humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 148), dated 22 August, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 August, be annulled.”
The motion has been signed by Rishi Sunak MP, Jeremy Hunt MP, Mel Stride MP and Claire Coutinho MP.
