‘Grotesque’ plan to reduce access to winter fuel allowance leaves pensioners feeling ‘ashamed’
“I’m deeply concerned about the winter,” 81-year-old Kevin McGrath tells me when I meet him at his home in Corby, Northamptonshire.
He is recovering from a major eye operation when we sit down to chat, but he cannot contain his frustration.
The former Roman Catholic monk turned social worker said he has spent all of his life trying to help people and described Labour’s plan to take the winter fuel allowance away from millions of pensioners as “evil”.
“Of all the wealth in Britain, they target the ones who have very little in life,” he said.
Kevin and his wife recently moved into a small, two-bedroom apartment on the edge of town to cut down on energy bills.
Neither have a private pension and their only source of income is their state pension.
In July, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that from this winter, pensioners in England and Wales will no longer be entitled to the winter fuel payment unless they receive Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits.
More than 10 million pensioners in England and Wales received the winter fuel payment last winter.
The government says the move will help them plug an estimated £22bn black hole in the public finances.
“I fully understand that the government has difficult decisions to make, but why are they starting at the bottom, why don’t they start at the top. It’s evil. It’s a crime,” said Kevin.
To be eligible, Kevin will have to apply to see if he meets the criteria to continue to receive the benefit, something he says is a source of embarrassment among older people.
“Who decides that we haven’t got enough money to live on? I speak to my friends who tell me they are ashamed and embarrassed to have to go through this process. These are people who have worked all of their lives.”
Data shared exclusively with Sky News by the charity Independent Age reveals growing concern about the policy among older people.
In August, the number of calls about pension credit, one of the main factors in assessing eligibility, was three-and-a-half times higher than the average for the first six months of the year.
And more than two in five calls in the same month were about pension credit, up from one in six in the first half of the year.
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Independent Age chief executive Joanna Elson CBE said: “This data from our helpline clearly shows that many people in later life are worried about the UK government’s decision to limit the winter fuel payment to those that receive pension credit.
“The people we speak to are frightened about losing a vital lifeline this winter, many are struggling on a low income and will be forced to make drastic cutbacks.
“Others tell us it is the first time they have reached out for support, as the winter ahead feels very bleak.”
The charity says it is urging the government to delay its plans to means test the winter fuel payment until more people can apply for pension credit.
Mr McGrath, a former Roman Catholic monk, says his friends feel ‘ashamed’ at having to apply for means testing
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The government says the average state pension will rise under Labour.
A commitment to maintain the triple lock on the state pension, which guarantees annual increases in line with whichever is the higher of inflation, 2.5 per cent or annual earnings, has boosted pension payments since it was introduced in 2012.
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Now Labour says the triple lock will remain in place for the rest of the parliament, which means the full UK state pension could rise by about £460 a year from April 2025.
Kevin said he will have to wait and see what the winter brings and says he is disappointed in the new government.
“I find it sad that if you are elderly and you’re not economically active then you don’t matter. There’s something grotesque about it all.”
A government spokesperson told Sky News it is “committed to supporting pensioners”, adding over 12 million people will see their state pension rise by £1,700 this parliament because of the triple lock.
“Given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it’s right we target support to those who need it most,” they said.
“We urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to pension credit to check their eligibility and have already seen a 115% increase in claims following the launch of our awareness campaign.”
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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