“£1.5bn windfall should be used to protect Britain’s pensioners”, says Clive Jones

On the 9th September, the Government announced it would cut the Winter Fuel Allowance in a £1.4bn cost saving measure. Now that the Government has received £1.5bn in a debate from Octopus Energy, Clive Jones feels this is the perfect opportunity for Labour to reverse this decision.

Clive Jones, Wokingham’s MP who voted to block the cut in the House of Commons, called the decision at the time “completely the wrong thing to be doing”. Clive Jones understands the disastrous economic situation that the Government inherited from Conservatives, but maintains that this is the wrong way to fix it.

Clive Jones, the MP for Wokingham, said:
“I’m extremely worried about many older pensioners, with the figures reported by charities like Age UK being deeply worrying.

“The Government has repeatedly told us that it was a regrettable decision but they were forced to make it due to the financial conditions they inherited.

“With this recent windfall from Octopus Energy, that no longer applies. The Government must use this £1.5bn to protect vulnerable pensioners this winter.”