Esther McVey has welcomed the U-turn over winter fuel payments and called on government to make it the first of many to come.
Ms McVey, who led a national campaign for nine months to get the “vindictive” winter fuel policy reversed, said she was pleased many more pensioners would now benefit.
However, she said following this U-turn the government should save itself time and drop its other “ridiculous” policies which are piling pressure on employers and putting family businesses and farm under threat.
Speaking in Parliament on a statement on the change to winter fuel payments, Ms McVey said: “I appreciate this has been a humiliation for the Chancellor and her credibility is in tatters, so no wonder she is not here to announce her own U-turn. Now that she and the government has a taste for climbdown, will they withdraw the equally ridiculous employer national insurance contribution (NICs) rise, which is destroying jobs and the inheritance tax changes which is destroying farms and family businesses.”
The call came as the government announced its winter fuel policy changes which will now see pensioners with an income of £35,000 or below now eligible for the winter fuel payment.
Ms McVey said government needed to go further and act on its imposed job taxes – which have seen unemployment rise, wages fall and inflation rise.
She said: “We have had one U-turn, now we need another two. We cannot wait another nine months for government to realise the damage these policies are causing.
“Government should be doing everything it can to protect our businesses and keep people in employment, as well as creating new employment opportunities but these policies are doing the complete opposite. Businesses and business leaders have been clear – they cannot take much more. Government must also U-turn on these decisions before it is too late.”
