Labour is under pressure and so far, 17 MPs from the party have signed a motion to delay the winter fuel payment cut that will affect 10 million pensioners.
Sir Keir Starmer insists that the Cabinet is united in the axing of the winter fuel allowance despite many calls within Labour to soften the unpopular policy.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said that meeting chaired by Starmer on Monday that minister are “agreed” in the importance in “fixing the foundations of the economy,” PA news media reports.
The spokeswoman was asked is there any dissent amongst the Labour ranks over the axing of the winter fuel allowance, she said no.
“The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by stating the importance of fixing the foundations of our economy in order to carry out the Government’s mandate for change,” the spokeswoman said.
“He said that, given the scale of inheritance, this would be difficult and that tough decisions are unpopular decisions, but it is the tough decisions that will enable change for this country.”
A motion presented by Neil Duncan-Jordan with 17 Labour MPs signatures has been presented to the government calling on a delay to the cut of the allowance.
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that this is necessary as the Conservatives created a £22 billion “black hole” when they were in power.
Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham has strongly urged the Prime Minister “U-turn” on axing the allowance and she accused Labour of making the decision to “pick the pocket of pensioners” and the rich who get richer remain “untouched.”
The union leader told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “We need to make sure that he is making the right choices and leadership is about choices. He needs to be big enough and brave enough to do a U-turn on this choice. It’s completely wrong.
“People do not understand how a Labour Government has decided to pick the pocket of pensioners and, at the same time, leave the richest in our society totally untouched.
“That is wrong and he needs to change course.”
She urged the Prime Minister to place a tax on the “1% wealthiest” as this will raise £25 billion instead of the £1.2 billion in axing the winter fuel payments.
She said, “The wealthiest in the country have been at the front of the queue for 14 years. I want to see workers and communities now at the front of the queue and that is why we’re saying they must do a U-turn on this very, very, very cruel (policy).”
Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Lynch warned the government they are making a “historic mistake.”
“They will have to do something about this historic mistake, otherwise we will start to see the consequences this winter,” he said during a fringe meeting at the TUC Congress in Brighton.
