ANAS Sarwar has been accused of trying to U-turn on his support for cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment because it is “politically convenient” – with three key by-elections just days away.
The Scottish Labour leader announced on Tuesday that he had U-turned and his party would bring in a universal Winter Fuel Payment if they take power at Holyrood in 2026. This, they said, would later be tapered so that the wealthiest receive smaller payments.
The U-turn was a significant shift in rhetoric from a Scottish Labour group that previously supported the UK Government’s cut to the Winter Fuel Payment.
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It comes just two days before people in three Glasgow wards (Drumchapel/Anniesland, North East, and Maryhill) go to the polls in by-elections held to replace Labour councillors who have stepped down.
It also came just hours before UK Government modelling was published which showed that the Winter Fuel Payment cut would put "an additional 50,000 pensioners in poverty each year".
In October, Scottish Labour sources briefed to the press that one of the “biggest factors” behind by-elections losses in Dundee had been the UK Government’s Winter Fuel Payment cut.
He told The National: “Two of these by-elections have been called because of the election of two former Labour councillors as Scottish Labour MPs. One of their first acts was to vote to cut the Winter Fuel Payment, so it's quite hypocritical of Labour.
“The fact that on the one hand, they're perfectly willing to send their MPs down to Westminster and vote to cut something – and then turn around and say, ‘Oh, actually, we think it's a really good idea to protect this thing’.”
Riley said that the fuel payment cut was proving a key issue for people on the doorsteps.
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“We've spoken to quite a lot of people that voted Labour [in the July General Election] when they wouldn't normally, and who have then been hit by this cut. They're feeling completely let down by it,” he said.
Riley further said that Sarwar’s policy U-turn had been timed to try to shore up a Labour vote for Thursday’s by-elections – but added: “I'm not sure if the electorate are really going to be that swayed by it.
“I think most people will see through the hypocrisy. They'll see through the fact that Labour are saying ‘vote Labour to stop what Labour are doing’. That message I can't see really resonating with people particularly well.”
She said: “Scottish Labour’s ambition for Scotland is to mitigate the decisions of a Westminster Labour government. You can’t make this up!”
Meanwhile, SNP Glasgow councillor Christina Cannon (above) wrote: “So people have to wait two cold winters for Anas Sarwar to *maybe* be first minister just because he doesn’t want to stand up to Keir Starmer?
“So much for Scotland at the heart of a UK Government”.
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Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville further accused Labour of “remarkable Orwellian double-think”.
“Having just cut the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners across the UK, they now expect people to believe that they are in fact on the side of pensioners,” she said.
“Anas Sarwar sat on his hands while his Westminster colleagues forced through this cut, and he must explain why Labour failed to back the reintroduction of the Winter Fuel Payment just a few weeks ago in the Scottish Parliament.
“The people of Scotland will see right through the fact that Scottish Labour’s ambition for Scotland is to simply mitigate decisions made by a Westminster Labour Government – by contrast, the SNP will always put Scotland first.”
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