MPs have voted to cut the winter fuel payment for all but the country’s poorest pensioners.
A Tory move to axe the cut was defeated by 348 to 228 votes – a majority of 120.
Labour has a working majority in the Commons of 181.
Politics Live: Starmer defends winter fuel payment cut in speech
It means that from this winter only those claiming pension credit or other means-tested benefits will receive help with their fuel bills, whereas previously the allowance was available to anyone over the age of 66.
The move is expected to reduce the number of pensioners in receipt of the up to £300 payment by 10 million, from 11.4 million to 1.5 million, saving the exchequer around £1.4bn this year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the squeeze in July as part of a series of measures to fill a “£22bn black hole” in the public finances.
However, some MPs from Labour’s own side, as well as charities and opposition MPs, have been calling for a U-turn, saying the policy will leave less well-off pensioners with “a heart-breaking choice between heating and eating this winter”.
Mel Stride, the shadow work and pensions secretary, opened a Commons debate on the matter by saying nine out of 10 pensioners will lose the benefit “at the most difficult time of year… when the energy price cap is going up by 10%”.
“What happened to transparency? What happened to integrity? It went out of the window,” Mr Stride said.
Labour MP Rachel Maskell – who has been outspoken in her opposition to the plan – told the Commons of pensioners “frightened” to turn on the lights in case they cannot pay their bills.
“It’s with my conscience that I cannot vote for these measures,” she said.
Labour’s Debbie Abrahams was also critical of the move, saying many of the government’s measures to ease costs on households would not be in place for this winter.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faced down critics as he told union members gathered at the TUC conference in Brighton that he “owes working people the respect of economic stability” and makes “no apologies for any of the decisions we’ve had to take to begin the work of change”.
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