A pensioner has said he’s been left £500 a month worse off because he gets just £2.60 more than the pension credit cap.
Arthur Bowling, 66, from Waterloo, Merseyside, said the loss of his winter fuel payment has left him fearing for his life.
Arthur Bowling fears he’ll die as a result of Keir Starmer’s winter fuel payment cut (Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
Mr Bowling explained the small amount above the £218 per week limit meant he has to make a larger payment to cover his rent.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m not one of these supposedly ‘rich pensioners’. I live off my pension but my income exceeds the threshold for pension credit by £2.60 per week so now I’m £500 worse off in rent payments every month and now I’ll miss out on the fuel payment.
“For the sake of a few quid I’m facing the prospect of dying this winter and I’m not the only one. This will put thousands of pensioners at risk.
“I’m afraid for others and I’m afraid for myself. After spending so long in hospital I need the warmth and now I don’t know whether I’ll be able to get through the next few months. It’s a massive slap in the face.”
The pensioner said he spent a month in intensive care with Covid during the pandemic in 2021 and suffers from long Covid, according to the Liverpool Echo.
From this winter, only people on pension credit or other specific benefits will be eligible to receive the discount, while about 10 million others are set to be stripped of the allowance.
Around 71 percent of those with a disability and 83 percent of those aged 80 or over will now miss out on the payment.
People will only receive the money if they meet certain eligibility criteria.
Keir Starmer has stopped winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners (Image: Getty)
Pensioners will receive a letter in October or November informing them if they will receive the benefit, with the payment made in November or December.
The Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have insisted the decision was necessary to help address a disputed £22billion “black hole” in the public finances this year that they claim to have inherited from the Conservatives.
Sir Keir Starmer’s government last week faced accusations of trying to hide from the “horrific” impact of the decision to strip winter fuel payments.
Figures were quietly slipped out on Friday night after Downing Street said a full impact assessment of the change had not been carried out.
Conservative Party leadership candidate James Cleverly said the winter fuel payment cut was an “unbelievably foolish choice” while Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokeswoman Wendy Chamberlain said means-testing the payment worth up to £300 was a “historic mistake”.
An earlier version of this story said Mr Bowling was 65. This has now been corrected to show his correct age.
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Labour moves millions from axed Rwanda plan to strengthen border security
Yvette Cooper has announced £75m in funding to increase the number of border security officers (Image: Getty/PA Images)
The Labour Government has redirected millions of pounds from the Rwanda asylum plan towards boosting the number of border security officers and a crack down on people smugglers.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced £75million in a cash injection aimed at delivering new technology and improving capabilities at Britain’s Border Security Command.
Ms Cooper said: “Criminal gangs are getting away with undermining our border security and putting lives at risk.
“The Border Security Command will deliver a major overhaul and upgrade in law enforcement against smugglers and trafficking gangs to boost our border security.
“State-of-the-art technology and enhanced intelligence capabilities will ensure we are using every tool at our disposal to dismantle this vile trade.”
More than 1,000 migrants arrived in the UK at the weekend (Image: Getty)
The move comes after more than 1,000 migrants arrived in the UK at the weekend and eight men died while trying to make the perilous journey across the English Channel on Saturday.
Money originally allocated to pay for the last government’s Rwanda scheme will be redirected to fund the plans, according to the Government.
After the election, the new Labour Government scrapped the plan which aimed to deter asylum seekers by sending those who arrived in the UK illegally to Rwanda.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared the scheme “dead and buried” just two days after Labour swept to power in the general election.
Hidden cameras and monitoring technology also form part of the package which the Home Office has said aims to speed up investigations and increase the likelihood of successful prosecutions.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) will see an extra 100 specialist investigators, which the Government announced earlier this year.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman visits accommodation for migrants under the Rwanda scheme (Image: Getty)
NCA Director-General of Operations Rob Jones said: “I welcome this funding, which will allow us to improve and extend our technology, data exploitation and capacity-building both internationally and in the UK.
“Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the NCA. We are currently leading around 70 investigations into the gangs or individuals involved in the highest echelons of criminality, and we are devoting more resources to it than ever before.
“We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle these networks, wherever they operate.”
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said: “CPS prosecutors will bring significant expertise to the new unit to help stop human trafficking gangs in their tracks, and pursue any assets gained through criminality.
“Working with partners, we will continue to discourage, disrupt and dismantle this exploitative trade through prosecutions and cross-border collaboration.”
