I get £2.60 'too much' and fear Keir Starmer's winter fuel cut will kill me

Arthur Bowling fears he'll dice arsenic a effect of Keir Starmer's wintertime substance outgo chopped (Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

A pensioner has said he's been near £500 a period worse disconnected due to the fact that helium gets conscionable £2.60 much than the pension recognition cap.

Arthur Bowling, 65, from Waterloo, Merseyside, said the nonaccomplishment of his winter substance payment has near him fearing for his life.

Mr Bowling explained the tiny magnitude supra the £218 per week bounds meant helium has to marque a larger outgo to screen his rent.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I'm not 1 of these supposedly 'rich pensioners'. I unrecorded disconnected my pension but my income exceeds the threshold for pension recognition by £2.60 per week truthful present I'm £500 worse disconnected successful rent payments each period and present I'll miss retired connected the substance payment.

"For the involvement of a fewer quid I'm facing the imaginable of dying this wintertime and I'm not the lone one. This volition enactment thousands of pensioners astatine risk.

"I'm acrophobic for others and I'm acrophobic for myself. After spending truthful agelong successful infirmary I request the warmth and present I don't cognize whether I'll beryllium capable to get done the adjacent fewer months. It's a monolithic slap successful the face."

The pensioner said helium spent a period successful intensive attraction with Covid during the pandemic successful 2021 and suffers from agelong Covid, according to the Liverpool Echo.

From this winter, lone radical connected pension recognition oregon different circumstantial benefits volition beryllium eligible to person the discount, portion astir 10 cardinal others are acceptable to beryllium stripped of the allowance.

Around 71 percent of those with a disablement and 83 percent of those aged 80 oregon implicit volition present miss retired connected the payment.

People volition lone person the wealth if they conscionable definite eligibility criteria.

Keir Starmer has stopped wintertime substance payments for millions of pensioners (Image: Getty)

Pensioners volition person a missive successful October oregon November informing them if they volition person the benefit, with the outgo made successful November oregon December.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves person insisted the determination was indispensable to assistance code a disputed £22billion "black hole" successful the nationalist finances this twelvemonth that they assertion to person inherited from the Conservatives.

Sir Keir Starmer's authorities past week faced accusations of trying to fell from the "horrific" interaction of the determination to portion wintertime substance payments.

Figures were softly slipped retired connected Friday night aft Downing Street said a afloat interaction appraisal of the alteration had not been carried out.

Conservative Party enactment campaigner James Cleverly said the winter substance payment chopped was an "unbelievably foolish choice" portion Liberal Democrat enactment and pensions spokeswoman Wendy Chamberlain said means-testing the outgo worthy up to £300 was a "historic mistake".