There is a discussion to be had about means testing benefits. If benefits are universal, it is clear that money will sometimes go to people who don’t need it when it should be directed to people who do. But it is clear that Labour’s decision to withhold WFA from pensioners except those on pension credit is wrong. In the first place there are an estimated 880 000 households in this country which are entitled to pension credit but have not claimed it. This may have something to do with the fact that you have to fill out a 22 page form with 243 questions to access the payment. And even if you do manage to fill out the questionnaire there is currently a two month wait to get any money. But secondly many pensioners who are not eligible for pension credit are still likely to face unaffordable heating bills this winter.Keir Starmer’s justification for this cruel policy, that the government needs to fill a £22 billion black hole left by the Tories , is clearly misleading. Around £9 billion of the £22 billion is made up of the inflationary pay awards made to the doctors, train drivers, teachers and other public servants this summer. If, for example, the government can afford to give the train drivers £6000 each in backdated wages (including those who have left the job) plus an increase of 4.5 % this year, taking their salary to around £70k pa, costing up to £100 million, how come there is not enough money to keep pensioners warm this winter?The interesting question is why Keir Starmer has taken this decision. My explanation is that he is completely out of his depth as a prime minister. He is simply a radical lawyer with no understanding of economics who has been promoted above his abilities. Since becoming Labour leader he has realised that many of the left wing policies he believed in are simply unrealistic, if not plain stupid. So now he doesn’t know what he believes. There is a vacuum in his mind where there used to be a political philosophy. So when Rachel Reeves, influenced by Treasury officials, tells him that the country can’t afford WFA, he doesn’t have the knowledge or the political nous to resist. When a she tells him it is cheaper to pay the doctors what they want than bearing the cost of strikes, he goes along with it even though this will encourage other public sector unions to make inflationary pay demands.I don’t think he can now afford to drop the policy on WFA for fear of losing all authority as Prime Minister. And I fear that the threat of losing the Labour whip will deter Fleur Anderson from voting against the government.
Steven Rose ● 787d