Labour's betrayal: Pensioners in seat that turned red for first time EVER in 2024 despair at Winter Fuel Payments axe - 'How can they do that to a human being?'

The WFP offered pensioners up to £300 in energy bill support annually to everyone in the UK - irrespective of income or wealth. However, going forward, older Britons will now need to be in receipt of means-tested payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), such as Pension Credit, to qualify for the payment.

The decision has prompted outcry from charities, poverty campaigners and politicians - calls of shame could be heard from opposition MPs after confirmation of the Government's win was read out in the House of Commons.

However, GB News wanted to speak to individuals themselves who would be impacted by the move, one many have branded as “wicked”.

Taking to the streets of Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, in the newly-turned Labour seat of Hertford and Stortford - that voted red for the first time in its history - despite decades of Conservative rule, people were keen to share their views on yesterday’s vote.

Maisie Smith, 71, has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) so needs to keep her home warm as she is unable to easily move about herself so can become cold quickly.

“I physically cannot move about so I need the heat. Elderly people need to be kept warm because you're not as mobile,” she said.

The 71-year-old said that the Winter Fuel payment allowed her to keep the heating on and not worry about ever going cold, a non-negotiable in light of her health condition.

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“I never feared getting cold. I could just leave my heating on all day because you knew you had that extra bit to help you.”

Yvonne Green, 83, was right beside good friend Maisie as she discussed her health concerns in light of yesterday’s announcement. She said she herself suffers from asthma and has had bouts of pneumonia, so is also panicked about what the future holds.

“Just turning the heating on and off again will cost even more money”, she despaired.

“They just shouldn’t have done that, it’s a wicked thing to do. There are so many other things they could have cut instead.”

A motion to annul the Government’s cuts to Winter Fuel Payments was defeated by 348 votes to 228, majority 120, in the House of Commons yesterday.

It is expected to save £1.5billion a year, though ministers have refused to publish an assessment of the potential impact.

Dina, 70, is another of the 10 million people across the UK who will no longer receive the payment and certainly will feel the impact.

She had previously been receiving £300 which was essential in keeping the heat on, and more importantly, her husband healthy.

“My husband had a triple heart bypass, and because of that, he's not supposed to get extremely cold. So that £300 was a big help for me,” she said.

“And now we're not getting it, and it's going to be quite difficult for us. Because the hospital said when he got discharged, that he mustn't get too cold or even too hot.”

She conceded that the increase in state pension could be a helping hand for some, which Reeves herself pointed to as a justification for the cut.

Violet, 91, said the decision felt like a slap-in-the-face to older people: “I just couldn't believe the amount of money that they want to actually take away from elderly people. You know, we've all worked hard all our lives and then all of a sudden it seems, you know, that it doesn't count for anything.

“It was like they've just sort of ripped it away and they haven't really thought about the consequences. I can't see how any government can actually do that to a human being.”

Reeves said that the new means-tested scheme is necessary to address the £22billion black hole left by the Conservative government. Taking to X today, she wrote: “I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge we face after fourteen years of low economic growth.

“That’s why we are taking the long-term decisions now to fix the foundations of our economy, so we can rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off.”

However, residents in Bishops Stortford fear the move could make the nation far worse off.

Jude, 68, slammed the move as “unfair”, and added that she is “concerned that by doing this, it's just taking away our rights”.

She fears that if the temperature drops, it could have a wider effect on the country’s healthcare system. “You never know what might happen if they get really, really cold,” she said. “And then the hospitals are going to be inundated.”

Georgina Jones, 56, said that it will deeply impact the older community, speaking of a woman she knew last year who was already considering between heating or food.

“As far as I'm concerned he [Starmer] is going to make a lot of people poorer. I knew a lady last year who didn't get the payment and she was choosing between if she could eat one meal a day, or should she instead put the heating on.”

She worries what the future will hold as she gets older and if the Winter Fuel Payment continues to be cut. “Last year, I asked for a airfryer for Christmas,” she said. “But this year, I’m going to ask for thermal blankets in case I need it.”

Lorraine Carter, 81, stood alongside Jones as she voiced her grievances. The 81-year-old receives pension credit and says she feels “very guilty” about it. “They should have gone about it a different way, not let the old people suffer,” she added.

The Chancellor, speaking to GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope, made a firm pledge to protect British OAPs.

She said that the Government will stand by its promise to deliver free bus passes, TV licences and prescriptions for the elderly generation, despite causing outrage with the Winter Fuel Payment axe.

“We've committed to those bus passes, to free TV licenses for those entitled, and free prescriptions.

“But we've also committed to the triple lock, not just for one year, but for the duration of this Parliament.

“That means that pensions will continue to rise by whichever is higher, two and a half per cent inflation or average earnings. That means that pensioners have £900 more this winter, and likely another £460 from next April.”