The move is expected to hit 15,642 of their constituents who had previously received the entitlement, worth up to £300 a year, reports Marco Marcelline

Leyton and Wanstead MP Calvin Bailey and Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, Credit: Parliament UK

Calvin Bailey and Stella Creasy joined the majority of their Labour colleagues in voting to cut winter fuel payments for most pensioners.

A Conservative motion to block the winter fuel payment cut was defeated by 348 to 228, with 53 Labour MPs abstaining today.

The move is expected to hit over ten million pensioners who had previously received the entitlement, worth up to £300 a year.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves first revealed the government aimed to means-test the entitlement in July as part of a bid to plug a £22billion fiscal black hole.

The move means that eligibility for the payment is now linked to pension credit, another means-tested benefit that is only available to those living well below the poverty threshold. Critics of the cut have argued it will plunge more pensioners into poverty, though Labour insists most pensioners will be covered by recent state pension increases.

Leyton and Wanstead MP Calvin Bailey told the Echo he voted in favour of the government’s move in order to “repair the utter mess the Tories have left for our public finances, and prevent the kind of spikes in prices, mortgages, and rents that we all saw caused by Tory recklessness under Liz Truss”.

Clarifying that he was “not happy” to vote to cut winter fuel allowance, he said he understood that some of his constituents would be “negatively affected” and would seek to support them.

He said: “After holding my first surgery last Friday, I’m going to offer some specialised surgery slots over the coming weeks to help older constituents with their applications. There is a range of help that pensioners in need can access even if they aren’t eligible for pension credit.”

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, who did not provide a comment to the Echo explaining her vote today, also voted with the government. Both MPs faced criticism when they voted against scrapping the two child benefit cap in July.

Seven Labour MPs who voted for a SNP motion to abolish the two child benefit cap had the whip removed. While no Labour MPs voted against the government today, 53 Labour MPs, including Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott, abstained.

It marks the biggest backbench rebellion the government has faced since it came into power on 5th July.

Speaking ahead of the vote, Chingford and Woodford Green MP Iain Duncan Smith told the Echo he was “appalled” by Labour’s move to cut the winter fuel payment for many pensioners.

Voting against the government, he said: “Pensioners have earned the right to dignity and respect in retirement, and I am opposed to the government’s plans. I will maintain pressure on the government by campaigning to reverse this decision, as I know that it will impact many of my constituents in Chingford and Woodford Green.”

Pensioners living in Duncan Smith’s constituency are the most likely to be affected by the changes compared to other Waltham Forest constituencies. According to data from the Department for Work and Pensions, 13,933 pensioners in Chingford and Woodford Green will lose the payment, compared to 9,249 in Leyton and Wanstead and 6,393 pensioners in Walthamstow.

Around eleven million pensioners are set to lose their winter fuel payment under the government’s plans, including two million that the charity Age UK has said will struggle to afford their energy bills as a result. It comes as the average energy bill is set to rise by £149 a year from October.

Slamming the government, Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats chair Josh Hadley said: “Countless pensioners across Waltham Forest are worried about losing this vital support and how they will afford their energy bills this winter.

“Stripping support from many of the poorest pensioners just when energy bills are set to rise again is simply wrong. It could force vulnerable elderly people in our community to choose between eating and heating this winter.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been unapologetic in the face of criticism and considerable backbench anxiety around the cut.

In a speech at the Trade Union Congress today, he said: “I make no apologies for any of the decisions we have had to take to begin the work of change and no apologies to those still stuck in the 1980s who believe that unions and business can only stand at odds leaving working people in the middle.”

Defending the plan today Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, said increases to the basic state pension under the triple lock guarantee mean pensioners would actually receive more than what they are expected to lose from the winter fuel payment cut. The payment is worth either £200 or £300 depending on the recipient’s age.

Amid some unrest over the votes today, Leyton and Wanstead constituents have also expressed some online frustration that Bailey had not responded to any of their emails since he was elected in July.

Speaking to the Echo following the vote, the Leyton and Wanstead MP stressed he was aware of constituents who had not received responses from his office, which he said was because he was still in the process of completing his casework team.

He said: “In the last two weeks, my new staff have started work, and the final members of our team should be in place soon. Unfortunately, we have to set everything up from scratch which does cause delays.”

Adding that his office had been prioritising the “most urgent” casework, he promised his team would “get back to people as soon as we can”.

Will you lose out because of the cut or are you a pensioner that believes it’s justified? Share your thoughts with us at: [email protected]

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