Wes Streeting insists Labour ‘did protect winter fuel allowance’ for pensioners

Streeting says public will thank Labour for scrapping winter fuel payments. source: Sky News

Transcript

00:00The Chancellor did protect winter fuel allowance for the poorest pensioners.

00:03There is the Warm Homes Discount people should see if they're eligible for.

00:08So in terms of protecting the poorest pensioners this winter, the government is taking action.

00:14Of course, that doesn't mean that getting rid of the winter fuel allowance for others

00:18has been a popular decision.

00:20But like many of the unpopular choices we've made in the last...

00:22Not necessarily amongst the nine million who took it away from, and particularly the ones

00:25who are just above that threshold.

00:27I mean, there is an issue here, isn't there?

00:29But bear in mind, we've kept the triple lock for pensioners, so it will continue to rise

00:33with the cost of living.

00:35And more generally, Trevor, there are decisions we've made in the last six months, like on

00:38winter fuel allowance or other measures to raise money in the budget that were unpopular.

00:43The reason we've been wanting to make unpopular decisions in the last six months is to get

00:48Britain out of the massive hole it was left in.

00:50So there might be unpopular decisions now, but I hope there'll be decisions that in the

00:54longer run people thank us for when they see the country improving.