To resent the U-turn on winter fuel allowance?

You aren’t paying full rent in social housing though, nor can you say you don’t claim any benefits.

I’m just wondering why you know so many pensioners like this and none at all who struggle.

Some of us in social housing did work all of our working lives. 🙄🤷‍♀️ And are still paying tax, full rent and not claiming any top up benefits.

I wonder if the pensioners on Mumsnet are outliers when it comes to voting. Higher intelligence maybe. ;)

I do, DH does, my sibling and their partner does. We are all in our 70s, two almost 80s.

I don't know any pensioners who struggle. I know plenty of (now) pensioners who lived on state benefits, in council housing ,their whole life, with little bits of work thrown in. They're now on all the pensioner benefits and feel loaded in comparison to when they were younger or working and are better off than the, working or not working, younger neighbours.

So do I but we’re in a minority.

I do

I like the sound of your MIL.

I'm a pensioner and I don't need the WFA. But the cut off was ridiculously low before and is just as ridiculously high now..
I do vote labour but agree a lot of pensioners don't, many are the new middle class as they see themselves after buying their council houses.

I cringe every time I see the latest stupid suggestions like no tax or council tax for anyone over SPA, all this will be comfortably paid for by stopping the boats and deporting all those in hostels. (I refuse to say hotels because that no longer describes these buildings). Its depressing it really is.. I'm fast becoming the most unpopular pensioner on facebook.

I don't disagree with the analysis, but statistics are also not accurate reflections on why things happen.

You could, for example, point out that the more working class the person, the more likely they are to die younger. That is also a fact. So the better off (more likely to lean right than left) will live longer on average. You would also need to take into account that many people of my generation (I am 67) did not vote Labour at the last general election (I didn't - the first time in my life I haven't) because Labour is right of us! I and many people I know could see what Starmer and his ilk were going to bring with them and simply could not support it because we are far to the left of Labour now. Around where I live Reform swept the local elections not due only to their level of support but due to the fact that Labour voters were so disillusioned they simply didn't vote, but interestingly our local "no-hoper" leftie, who usually gets maybe 50 votes, actually beat some of the Labour candidates.

Voting patterns and decisions are far more complex than just generational breakdowns. It isn't an easy stat to pull up, but what would be more interesting would be to see where former Labour voters are casting their votes, if they are doing so. More and more what I am hearing is people simply stopping voting because they cannot find anyone to believe any more.

My MIL moaned when she lost her WFA. She is now moaning that she is getting it back "because Starmer looks weak." She didn't even bother to vote last election- because the Reform candidate she planned to vote for got removed at the last minute. No use Labour bribing her for votes.

Are there facts to back this up though?

edit as I see you’ve edited.

thanks for the link.

I wasn’t speaking for all pensioners but as a generation we lean right. I’ve voted Labour all my adult life since the early 1970s but I’m now in a minority in my age group.

For the over 50s the proportion voting Labour decreases more steeply with 34% of 50-59s backing Labour, 28% of 60-69s and just 20% of those 70 or older.

https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/49978-how-britain-voted-in-the-2024-general-election

That’s a generalisation, you can’t possibly speak for all pensioners!

Pensioners don’t vote Labour so what did they have to lose?

It was a mind numbingly stupid idea that cost Labour political capital that it could ill-afford.

Pissing off the one cohort in the electorate who can always be relied upon to vote made no sense.

Pensioner here 🙋‍♀️
I am on the new state pension, £921 per month. I have a small work pension £450 after tax. My husband also has the new state pension, plus a decent work pension. We will now qualify for the WFP. We DO NOT NEED it.
Most of the pensioners I know DO NOT NEED it. Im sick of hearing pensioners say, well I've paid into the system I should benefit. They should get their state pension, agreed. But top ups ? FGS, stop being greedy! There's more important things to give the money to.

BTW, I agree that poorer pensioners should have help. But 35k is way too high.

Yes, but Rachel has fixed the foundations remember!

Regardless of anything eise, if he thinks your reduced maternity pay doesn’t mean he should pay more temporarily then your increased salary shouldn’t mean you pay more long term either. He can’t have it both ways. Either the one receiving less money pays less or they don’t. It can’t apply to you and not him. So I think when you’re back to work you should make him increase his contributions to 50% - by his own logic! If you manage to stomache him until then that is 😂

TBH I don’t know anyone who actually needs it - dh and I don’t - but nor do I know anyone who was complaining about it being stopped. Consensus was, presumably, well, fair enough.

Yes, you are living in a bubble.

That would be the most sensible and logical solution for everyone.

This though, it pits people against each other. People are hating on the disabled, others are hating on the pensioners. This divide and conquer tactic has worked for decades, they won’t change their agenda now.

I agree OP its ludicrous. It's also convenient how this benefit can be worked out for each member of the household whereas with child benefit that is of course impossible and so families just over the threshold lose out.

No one is disputing that