Labour conference has voted to condemn the government’s decision to cut the winter fuel payment for more than 9 million pensioners.
The conference motion, calling for ministers to “reverse” the removal of the allowance from all but the poorest pensioners, was passed by on Wednesday morning.
The vote is non-binding, meaning the government is not obliged to change the policy.
Unite and the Communication Workers Union, which co-sponsored the motion, had hoped the vote would take place on Monday, the busiest day of the event in Liverpool. However, it was shifted to the final hour of the conference, following the final ministerial speeches and with many delegates already having departed.
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The motion, now passed by Labour delegates, called for means testing of the winter fuel allowance to be reversed and for an end to fiscal rules which prevent borrowing to invest, as well as the introduction of a wealth tax.
It was passed by hand-vote in the conference hall, according to the rules of the party. There was initially some confusion over whether the motion had carried, as the vote appeared to be extremely close.
The chair of the conference arrangements committee (CAC), Lynne Morris, had faced boos and heckles from the conference floor after she announced the timing for the debate and vote on Monday.
Although the vote is non-binding, the Labour leadership’s defeat makes for a downbeat ending to the party’s first conference in government for 15 years.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has described the policy as “cruel” and has called on the prime minister to admit he made a “misstep”.
She has said: “The first thing Labour does is to take away the winter fuel allowance from the poorest in our society while they leave the wealthiest people pretty much untouched.”
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said his union will continue to campaign for the policy to change.
“We don’t accept it is good economics”, he said.
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on X/Twitter here.
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