Lisa Nandy ‘No pensioner will be worse off this year’

[IwantToRetire]

So many threads this could have been added to, but on one level you have to admire the sheer bravado on LN making this statement. So thought I would acknowledge her grasp on facts by giving her a headline!

The culture secretary has defended Labour’s winter fuel payment cut, insisting “No pensioner will be worse off this winter”.

Lisa Nandy insisted the government is taking “tough decisions to stabilize the economy”, when she appeared on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday evening (9 October).

Ms Nandy insisted: “We haven’t taken £300 from pensioners

“There are many hundreds of families paying hundreds of pounds more in rent or mortgages because of the economic chaos caused by the previous government.”

Ms Nandy said the government is working hard to ensure the poorest pensioners are on pensioner credit.

She said: “No pensioner will be worse off this winter than the last winter.”

Culture secretary defends winter fuel payment cut: ‘No pensioner will be worse off this year’ (yahoo.com)

“We have to accept - you have to accept - there will be hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners under the £11,400 income you will not reach this year,” Lewis said passionately.

“You are taking money out of their hands. Do you accept the truth, the reality is that's what will practically happen. I'm saying it, Age UK are saying it, others are saying it.

"So let's be honest, you're willing to accept the collateral damage of hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners, many on dementia, not getting the winter fuel payment."

Nandy, visibly taken aback, responded that she was “not willing to accept that” (clip of exchangevia link below).

https://www.thenational.scot/news/24640552.labour-minister-squirms-martin-lewis-grills-live-tv/

Sure. I’d say Nandy is just that for getting even the basics wrong

As for ‘piss and moan’ yes let those pensioners on under £12k that’s all they will be doing.

Got to say this sounds like pissing and moaning to me. You do you though.

The interview with Martin Lewis is on YouTube for anyone interested. I'm no LN fan but I don't think she did as badly as the headlines suggest.

@IwantToRetire

Probably strictly true in that - for all pensioners - the pension will go up by more than the fuel allowance that is taken away.

They call it "means testing" perhaps but it is very crude in that you simply don't get the fuel allowance unless on pension credit. No discussion if you have to pay rent or mortgage.

In days gone by "means testing" meant having a face to face interview and the detail looked into!

Because people are concerned for pensioners on basic state income?

Age UK have said similar

We strongly oppose the cut to the Winter Fuel Payment that means only those receiving Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits will receive it. This will leave millions of struggling pensioners without money they rely on.

2.5 million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it and will be in serious trouble as a result.

Are you Nandy not wanting to hear anything at all about the impact of a policy you want?

I think it depends on how you look at at it. Some pensioners will be £300 worse off than they would if they hadn't removed the subsidy. But with the reduction in fuel costs, increase in pension payments over the year they will still be better off than last year.

Couldn’t they just tax it? Isn’t everyone on an income above £12570 already taxed ?
They already tax private pensions.

Again. this is pissing and moaning.

I am not saying everything here is un true.

I'm saying you're not offering any alternative.

DH and I donated ours to the Local Foodbank . As a volunteer there I know of others who did the same . A lot of money for a charity to lose.

Every time Lisa Nandy opens her mouth, drivel pours out.

Are you able to engage beyond the same rebuttal, it’s not adding anything at all.

Are you Nandy’s advisor it seems you both really don’t want to hear from Age UK even.

Just I can’t see it blindness

ironically, you're not adding anythign at all either - I am just pointing out that you are not. If you have no solutions, why bother?

There are other mechanisms, pp stated them below.

Do you read the posts?

We have kids going hungry every single day - where is the money to feed them going to come from?

Their parents.

Nothing is presented as a workable solution.

Jesus fucking christ.

Why do we have to come up with solutions? We aren’t the government.

What do you think you are achieving by speaking about it then?

Why do pensioners in basic state rate need to take this hit? It’s political, it’s easier as they have no recourse, they cannot strike.

That’s why Age UK have spoken up. It will cause harm to people.

Labour can’t even admit that basic issue. Can you? Can you recognise the issue for these people?

Its a chat forum, not a parliamentary debate or dissertation.

People dont have to come up with an alternative (although many of us have), sometimes its enough to say that something isnt right. And this isnt right is it?

MPs are paid a lot of money to make things right apparently. Apparently they serve their constituents, so they should be coming up with something more workable for the poor.

You're incredibly aggressive.

This is a genuine question hasn't state pension gone up by more than £300? So isn't what she's saying factually true?

Several posts have suggested other solutions. Mainly, set the bar higher, at 40% perhaps, or tax the benefit, for example.

Those are concrete suggestions.

I don’t think so as things like benefits rise due to inflation

No one who sees those rises each year will be better off in real terms

If it was paid to all, could it not be reclaimed through a tax code adjustment for all pensioners paying tax at the higher rates?

Here’s a couple -
include pensioners on Attendance Allowance. Given that’s paid for pensioners with health issues it is reasonable to assume they spend more time at home therefore need more heating .
Or make it for age (eg) 75 and over ?
I don’t think the Government anticipated the backlash over this decowhich looks even worse because of Freebiegate .