A HEATED POLITICAL row has begun in the UK after the British Government approved plans yesterday to cut allowances for fuel during the winter for nearly 10 million pensioners.

The Labour Party said in July that it would be limiting the number of people who can avail of the payment after it warned earlier this month that it needed to slash costs after a £22 billion hole was left in the British economy.

At the time, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that the payment will remain for only the poorest pensioners in the country.

The changes, which are now set to kick in in the coming weeks, will reduce the number of people who can avail of the payments from 11 million to around 1.5 million, according to conservative estimates.

The public and the media have highlighted how the cuts were not included in the party’s manifesto before the General Election and members of the former Tory Government have criticised the move over its potential impacts on older citizens.

But Labour has been quick to counter these claims by saying that its Government would not have to make such cuts if the Conservative Party were open with the British public about the extent of the money that the party were borrowing while it was in Government.

A vote yesterday afternoon overturned amendments proposed by the Tories to block the cuts. This meant that the controversial plans were approved by the British Government.

During yesterday’s vote some 52 Labour Party MPs abstained from casting a ballot, creating some disquiet among the party whose momentum has shifted since Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the upcoming budget would be “painful”.

Some papers chose to focus on the abstentions this morning, with the Financial Times’ front page reporting that Labour’s plan survived a “rebellion”.

The Daily Telegraph also reports on the 52 Labour MPs who abstained, writing that they ‘defied’ Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In a further blow, the paper includes an image of Jason Hoganson, a 53-year-old man convicted of assaulting his ex-partner, who yesterday was released from prison early under new measures by the Labour government to tackle prison overcrowding.

The caption ‘Cheers, Keir’ appears above the image.

The Daily Mail asks: “Who Votes for All This?” on its front page, in all capitals. It points to the conflicting elements of the Labour Party’s manifesto and yesterday’s vote.

At the top of the page, the paper includes a wrap of what it calls ’68 days of Starmergeddon’ and lists the controversial decisions taken by the Starmer Government since coming to power.

The Daily Express writes that campaigners contesting the planned cuts will continue to protest the decision made by the British Government yesterday. The paper’s headline reads that the group is “united”.

Similarly, The Guardian pushes the story forward, with its front-page article writing that Starmer now faces more pressure to make sure further cuts are not made to assistance packages for poorer pensions and citizens.

It writes that the Labour Cabinet face a “ticking clock” to help those less fortunate as the population face the winter months.