Genuine question re pensioner fuel payment cut

[Katypp]

Just this: How would the Labour supporters react if three weeks into a new Conservative Government, the chancellor cut the winter fuel payment to any pensioner with an income of more than £11k?
Would you think it was a reasonable thing to do or would it be considered cruel because it was the Tories implementing it, not Labour?
I would imagine Angela Raynor, Yvette Cooper and Wes Streeting would have been very vocal and worried about it.
Would the public finances argument wash if it was a Tory Government? It didn't when Cameron came into power.
What's different?

There wasn't any money. It was all borrowed. Now we're having to pay it back, and at higher interest rates too! We're paying more in interest on the national debt than we're spending on education!

This isn't being done simply to spite pensioners. The reality is that the country cannot afford everything. Cuts need to made somewhere. If not here, then what should be cut?

Disability payments? Universal credit? NHS? Child benefit?

How about the illegal immigrant bill? They are paying fortunes putting them up in hotels. It would be cheaper to patrol our waters.

Funny how doing something about this is never touted as a means to tighten our belt 🤔

Precisely

Given away to bogus companies their mates set up. I believe Labour want this money back and are investigating

You go first then.

No they can't.

Not since 2016 - things have changed - I can only assume your benefits information is out of date - do keep up!

It will probably cost more for them to set up an "investigation committee" and the legal costs etc involved than the amount of money "given away" in the first place. That's what normally happens.

What about the millions spent on furlough?

Will the peoply who sunbathed on furlough repay their money, will the people on UC who got a £20 uplift, will the people who got bounce back loans, will the people who wasted millions of covid tests when they were 'free' also pay it back. Of course not.

But they could try to find a job!

My parents are not well off but don't need the fuel allowance. Last year they gave it to me to help with my bills.

Well @ruby1957 I disagree. I don’t know what you’re looking at.
I don’t work in benefits anymore, I’m in fraud. However I’ve just gone on to turn to us and done a trial calc with a full state pension (plus other benefits I mentioned) and it’s come through with £78.45 a week guarantee credit.

If they want to axe the winter fuel payment for those who are very wealthy, which I agree with, they need to axe the universal free breakfast and free school meals for those who can afford to feed their kids

They set up bogus companies and said they could produce PPE. They couldn’t. They pocketed billions on false pretences which isn’t ok is it

I consider myself a bit old for mumsnet ( more gransnet or great gransnet!) as I'm retired and children all grown up.
I married very young. Lived in a very remote area and it was never even likely I would stay on at school or gain any qualifications. I was allowed a " little job" until my first child was born. We had no car ,there was a mobile shop once per week and housing was ,by today's standards ,primitive. I and the few other mums I knew accepted it. It was a man's world ,housekeeping was doled out ( infrequently in some cases) and apart from the odd day trip, no holidays .I did not know anyone who had childcare apart from the local landowner who had a nanny. I expect some had family help but most mums i knew stayed at home .If any elderly relatives needed care " the daughter" was assumed to be responsible. ( even in my case if there was a single unemployed adult son at home) But we had community and we coped.
My marriage was difficult and what I experienced as emotional,physical and financial abuse was eventually revealed as my husbands illness. When I couldn't stand anymore I left and he has now passed away.
I did eventually gain qualifications and worked happily supporting myself and on my own until 2 years past state retirement.i couldn't afford to pay into a pension . Then I became unwell and retired. During the time i was working I paid back tens of thousands of pounds of debt from the last years of my marriage . It was hard but I am a good manager . I rent ( lived in a tied cottage during marriage on very low wage) never had a chance to buy .I am not bitter. The past can't be changed and many people were in the same boat. I was looking forward to my retirement and to having a dog. I have always wanted a pet and I thought it would be company. Vets bills and cost of living being as they are I darent even consider it now.
I have £3 above cut off for claiming pension credit.i inherited a tiny pension ,less than £10 a month.I still have friends from when I worked but am losing touch with them because even a coffee out is something I can't often afford. They are busy with work and family and can rarely visit me. I dread the winter fuel bills and cannot see much hope .
It does hurt a bit to have people assume that ALL pensioners are living it up at the expense of the young.
I can well remember the stress of trying to feed and clothe children with little money . The strain of paying for childcare must be immense . I admire anyone who struggles on ,juggling time,money and emotional strength to work and bring up their children.
In spite of the difficulties I'm grateful for a lot of things.
Please lets try to understand that many people struggle but they hide it. I was a bit upset at the loss of the fuel payment as it means a lot to me ,but i know that the country cant afford it . I just hope that we as a country can get out of the mess we are in ,and sort health and education as a priority.

Why do people not understand that elderly people feel the cold more. They are more likely because of their age to have other health problems.

Working age people can move about more, many will go to work where it's warm, elderly people often have mobility problems so don't go out much. Are some people really that callous that they are ok with this?

Nobody can help getting old, if we're lucky not to die young it comes to us all.

Well I wouldn't hold your breath for it this year!

I know @2dogsandabudgie and I'm the one that needs it! I guess what I'm saying is that for some pensioners who are not well off it's not needed (mum was a dinner lady and dad worked in a factory - state pension and small private one). They just miss out on pension credits but do get attendance allowance as both disabled.

I think if they get attendance allowance they will still qualify.

Since 2016 there is no AIP - so the person you are quoting for must be over 75 and already on an AIP. If it is true - it is scandalous and maybe the fraud section should be looking at it.
I will find the info I was referring to.

The word odious no more applies to Keir Starmer than it does to Rishi Sunak. You might vehemently disagree with Starmer and that's democracy but "odious", seriously? I'm a Labour voter but I wouldn't dream of calling Rishi Sunak or David Cameron odious. Boris Johnson on the other hand was the gold medallist (platinum actually) when it came to switching camps and spouting any amount of utter bullshit to win votes. A lot of Tories would agree with me too.

Not the same. It's important for children not to be singled out for being poor. Universal FSM means most children will eat a school dinner together.

It'd be nice if the people who benefitted from furlough and grants who didn't need it would repay it so that it could be redistributed to some of the 3 million excluded who did need it!