A Hull MP decided to vote in line with the Government's cut winter fuel payment despite raising the concerns of residents with the Chancellor.
The House of Commons voted yesterday to cut the £200-£300 payment which had been available to anyone over the age of 65.
The Government’s bill was passed by MPs 348 to 228. Two of the 348 were MP for Hull West and Haltemprice Emma Hardy and MP for Hull East Karl Turner, both are Labour MPs.
Following yesterday’s vote Mr Turner said: “Since the Chancellor announced the difficult decision to means tests the Winter Fuel Allowance, I’ve been working tirelessly to lobby the Government on this issue.”
He continued: “In the last week, I’ve lobbied both the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Work & Pension Secretary of State Liz Kendall about the concerns local residents have rightly raised him me.”
Despite his reservations ultimately Mr Turner did vote in favour of scrapping the payment to pensioners.
Reflecting on this he said: “Yesterday’s vote was a difficult decision for everyone on the Labour benches to take, and I have placed my trust in the Chancellor to fix the foundations of our economy and I’ll continue to explore alternative ways to support pensioners in East Hull.”
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Hull’s only other MP, Labour’s Dame Diana Johnson, who represents Hull North and Cottingham, abstained from the vote despite having previously stated she would indeed vote in line with the Government’s bill.
Dame Diana, who is the Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire, could not attend the vote as she was speaking at the Police Superintendents’ Conference in the West Midlands.
The controversial decision to remove the winter fuel allowance has drawn reaction from across the political spectrum.
The leader of Hull City Council, Cllr Mike Ross, has denounced the Government’s decision and shared his disdain with the local representatives, saying “I am disappointed in our three Labour MPs.”
He continued: “Cutting payments to vulnerable pensioners across Hull is no way to bring about the change the country needs.”
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