Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar was caught off-guard when two of his MSPs rebelled in a vote urging the UK Government to reverse the winter fuel payment cut.
Labour MSPs largely stood by UK Labour’s decision to press ahead with the adversely affect hundreds of thousands of pensioners this winter.
The non-binding motion from First Minister John Swinney was passed by 99 votes to 14, with members of all other parties voting with the SNP Government.
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Former Labour leader Richard Leonard and Alex Rowley broke away from the party line to back the government motion.
Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar was caught off-guard when two of his MSPs rebelled
PA
Prior to the final vote, a Labour amendment to remove language calling on the U-turn was rejected by the parliament.
Mr Sarwar told MSPs that the UK Government doesn’t want to cut the winter fuel payment and are “not responsible for the chaos and damage inherited from the Tories.”
He said: “Why the SNP of all people want to minimise the damage the Tories have done is for them to explain.
“So I repeat, the decision of the winter fuel payment is not a decision that the Chancellor wanted to make.”
He added: “Instead of focusing on what it can’t do rather than what it can do, the Scottish Government could work with Scottish Labour to make sure this package is delivered to support Scots.”
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Holyrood passed a non-binding motion to reverse the winter fuel cut by 99 votes to 14
PA
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has previously claimed that UK Labour “does not want” to means test the winter fuel payment, repeatedly harking back to the empty coffers left by the ousted Conservatives.
Making strange bedfellows, the Scottish Conservatives backed the First Minister’s motion to reverse plans to means test the winter fuel benefit.
Newly elected Tory leader Russell Findlay said Labour’s failure to properly assess the impact of the proposed cuts was“ shocking”.
Hey told MSPs: “In the depths of a long, cold Scottish winter, we know that the winter fuel payments can be the difference between heating and eating.”
Mr Findlay said, “the anger at Labour across the country is palpable,” noting that “elderly folk who have slogged hard all their days feel absolutely betrayed.
“The removal of this payment is the wrong way to go about introducing any form of means-testing.
“Any change of this nature should have been done much more fairly and respectfully, and with a sufficient period of notice.”
First Minister John Swinney said: “Reversing this decision on the winter fuel payment will be a vital step in ensuring our citizens can afford to live in warm homes.”
