Sean Curran reports from Westminster as the government sets out the details of their U-turn on Winter Fuel payments for pensioners.
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0:00.0 | Order. Order. Order. Good evening, this is Sean Curran at Westminster, where the government |
0:06.1 | finally sets out the details of its U-turn on winter fuel payments. It will means that the vast |
0:11.9 | majority over three-quarters or nine million pensioners will benefit from a winter fuel payment. |
0:18.3 | The Conservative say it's too late for some. |
0:21.2 | 50,000 pensioners plunge into poverty this year, |
0:24.3 | according to their own analysis. |
0:27.1 | 100,000 extra pensioners ended up in A&E this winter. |
0:31.9 | Also tonight, MPs vent their anger over water company pollution. |
0:36.6 | My constituents are fed up because we've got to burst pipes amageddon in York. |
0:41.2 | Rachel Reeves had been Chancellor for less than four weeks |
0:44.2 | when she announced that millions of pensioners would lose their winter fuel payments. |
0:49.0 | Almost 11 months on and following Labor's poor local election results, |
0:54.0 | the Chancellor announced she was |
0:55.5 | reversing the decision. The Prime Minister signalled the U-turn last month when he told MPs he |
1:01.3 | wanted to make sure more pensioners were eligible for the payments. When she confirmed the change |
1:06.8 | of direction today, just ahead of the spending review on Wednesday, Rachel Reeve said |
1:12.1 | the government had listened to people's concerns. In the commons, the pensions minister, |
1:17.3 | Torsten Bell, set out the details of the reversal. He explained that everyone over the state |
1:23.4 | pension age, with an income of up to £35,000 would automatically receive the payment this winter. |
1:31.0 | We are acting to make sure all, all lower income pensioners receive support. The new individual |
1:38.3 | 35,000 threshold is significantly above the income of pensioners in poverty and broadly in line with average earnings. |
1:47.3 | It will means that the vast majority over three quarters or nine million pensioners |
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