Gloria Hunniford takes on Rachel Reeves's 'awful' decision to hammer pensioners

By David Williamson, Chief Political Commentator

Gloria Hunniford is appalled by Labour's attraction of pensioners (Image: Getty)

Celebrated broadcaster Gloria Hunniford has condemned Labour’s axing of cosmopolitan wintertime substance payments for pensioners, informing of the utmost hardship immoderate older radical present face.

The 84-year-old described the Government’s attraction of retirees arsenic “shocking” and warned of pensioners staying successful furniture arsenic they conflict to support warm.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s determination has resulted successful astir 10million pensioners losing the outgo of up to £300 successful a bid to prevention £1.4billion.

Ms Hunniford said: “I deliberation it’s shocking what they’ve done to pensioners successful the acold and damp upwind we’ve had, which is awful. I request a mortgage to wage my state measure due to the fact that I conscionable consciousness I’m excessively aged to beryllium cold, but I consciousness genuinely truthful atrocious due to the fact that I don’t request the substance allowance and determination are galore astir maine don’t request it, but determination are galore radical who do.

“I felt it was a beauteous unsmooth determination to marque close astatine the opening of the Labour party’s [time successful power].”

Warning of the consequences for hard-up pensioners, she said: “At work, I sometimes perceive of radical who spell retired to time centres each time conscionable due to the fact that they tin support lukewarm there, oregon radical who enactment successful furniture much than they would due to the fact that they tin support warm.

“It’s conscionable unspeakable the mode they person to unrecorded and I can’t assistance but consciousness determination could person been different ways to rise that money. That was a peculiarly atrocious decision.”

Ms Hunniford is besides an ambassador for the Royal Osteoporosis Society and supports its Better Bones run with the Sunday Express for the afloat roll-out crossed the federation of regular investigating for the disease.

Her concerns astir the wintertime substance payments were echoed by Morgan Vine of Independent Age.

He said: “Our helpline person calls each time from older radical surviving connected a debased income who missed retired connected the winter substance payment this year. Some are conscionable supra the threshold to suffice for pension credit, others would suffice but missed the deadline this year.

“The radical we talk to successful this concern archer america they present consciousness forced to earnestly restrict their heating, and immoderate are not turning it connected astatine all. This concern is detrimental to people’s carnal and intelligence health.”

Pressing for change, helium said: “Older radical connected a debased income cannot look different wintertime of surviving successful a cold, damp home. We’re calling connected the UK Government to urgently reappraisal the eligibility for the winter substance payment, and widen it from lone those receiving pension credit.”

Caroline Abrahams of Age UK said the charity’s probe recovered “more than 1 cardinal radical aged 66 and implicit person been skipping meals to prevention money”.

She said: “There are inactive astir 3 quarters of a cardinal pensioners whose incomes are truthful debased that they are entitled to pension recognition but not getting it, and much than a cardinal much who are nether immense fiscal unit but who beryllium conscionable supra the eligibility line.”