Cutting the winter fuel payment for millions of pensioners last July was not an “error”, Ed Miliband has insisted, despite the fact that the government had now established the details of its U -turn in politics.
Talk about BBC Radio 4Today’s program on Tuesday morning was repeatedly asked about the decision of Foreign Minister Rachel Reeves to change the threshold for payment in response to a public reaction.
According to the measures presented on Monday, all pensioners with income up to £ 35,000 will now benefit from support, as well as those in pensions, credit and other benefits related to income.
While the payment will not be paid to all pensioners as in previous years, it will extend to approximately three quarters or 9 million pensions. The government has said that the change ensures that “the media test of winter fuel payments has no effect on poverty of pensioners.”
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The ministers have not yet established how they intend to pay for raising the threshold, insisting that an announcement will continue in the next fiscal event.
Miliband, the Secretary of Energy Security and Net Zero, accredited the Chancellor for the measure, saying that he had listed the “force of feeling that people have in this” and that the adjustment “can accumulate within our fiscal figures.”
The Cabinet Minister added: “In the payment of winter fuel, the main question was the richest of our society, should they obtain the payment of winter fuel? If the millionaires, if the rich man obtains the winter fuel, is us for most people for most people.” ”
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Despite the change of meaning, Miliband firmly defended the initial decision of the government to reduce the benefit.
When asked if the movement to reduce the payment of winter fuel last July was an “error”, Miliband replied: “No.”
The Secretary of Energy argued that the Court was one of a series of tasks of the necessary actions to restore trust after the inheritance a fiscal crisis.
Miliband added: “Simply put in the chancellor’s place. He entered the position confronted by a complete series of spending commitments that the last government that Mad had done, which they had no idea how they were paying.
“And they said that you have to take measures to show that you will stabilize the finances of the Nation. Initially made winter fuel, then made a complete series of other changes in the [autumn] Budget and that is the context for this. ”
Miliband refused to comment on whether the vision of the government of the nations that improve the well -being reforms of Finance Finance could also be reconsidered.
When asked if the disabled people of cutting affection could be reversed, he replied: “Well, look, I will not speculate on that. [Work and pensions secretary] Liz Kendall has established a series of principles reforms.
“I think they are the correct reforms for the well -being system.”
Josh Self is an editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him in Bluesky Gentleman.
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