Keir Starmer must reverse 'cruel' winter fuel payment cut, says Unite union boss

General Secretary of Unite Sharon Graham said the determination to chopped the wintertime substance payments for each but the poorest pensioners was a 'misstep' - and called connected the PM to U-turn

Keir Starmer indispensable reverse a "cruel" chopped to wintertime substance payments for millions of pensioners, 1 of Labour's astir poweful national backers has warned.

General Secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, said the determination to chopped the payments for each but the poorest OAPs was a "misstep". Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the program successful July arsenic she scrambles to hole the £22billion spread the Tories near successful the nationalist finances.

But the national person said the caller Labour authorities should present "reverse the policy" to let older radical to enactment their heating connected this winter.

She said: "You've got a concern wherever the poorest successful our society, the archetypal happening that Labour does is instrumentality distant the wintertime substance allowance from the poorest successful our nine whilst they permission the wealthiest radical beauteous overmuch untouched."

In frank comments, Ms Graham added: "Good radical who privation Labour to bash good are uncovering it, rather frankly, embarrassing."

Her comments came arsenic Unite national - which represents millions of workers - prepares to unveil a bid of billboards astatine the Labour league calling for a U-turn connected wintertime fuel. Funded by Unite, they volition see the connection "Defend the wintertime substance payment" and amusement a pensioner huddled implicit a heater.

Ms Graham besides utilized an interrogation with The Sunday Mirror past week to impulse Labour to slap a 1% taxation on the wealthiest Brits and ditch plans to chopped wintertime substance allowance. The Unite brag said the wealthiness taxation could rise astir £25billion a twelvemonth - exceeding the £22billion achromatic spread successful the nation's finances near down by the Tories.

But speaking this weekend, Chancellor Rachel Reeves appeared to regularisation retired immoderate imaginable of a wealthiness taxation astatine adjacent month's Budget. She told The Sunday Times: “I’m not looking astatine creating immoderate caller tax, oregon a wealthiness tax."

Education Secretary besides told Sky News connected Sunday she didn't similar the chopped to wintertime substance payments, adding: " I instrumentality nary relish successful the information we had to marque this decision" connected wintertime fuel." But she refused to beryllium drawn whether Ms Reeves should U-turn aft a £10bn boost from the Bank of England