Reeves Appeals for Labour Unity on UK Pensioner Benefit Cut
- Chancellor tells Labour MPs she’s not immune to their concerns
- Starmer says ‘unpopular’ measures needed to fix finances
Keir Starmer
Photographer: Tolga Akmen/EPAThis article is for subscribers only.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves appealed to Labour lawmakers to support her decision to remove a key benefit from most pensioners, as the government sought to minimize a threatened rebellion in Parliament on Tuesday.
The House of Commons is set to vote on Reeves’ move to scrap winter fuel payments for about 10 million older Britons. The government expects dozens of Labour lawmakers to express opposition to the policy, mostly by abstaining, people familiar with the matter said before a meeting between the chancellor and the party’s Members of Parliament.