Peter Fox MS has written to the new Labour MP for Monmouthshire calling on her to stand up to her party’s leadership and vote against the axing of the Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners.

 “As a result of these cuts, 13,000 pensioners in Monmouthshire could lose out on £4 million worth of support,” said Peter.

He began by congratulating Catherine Fookes on being elected and hoped she was settling into her new role.

He went on to say: “It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your party’s leader, but I firmly believe this is a matter worth standing up for.

 “Being an elected representative is not easy and comes at great cost, but I hope that our new Member of Parliament will stand up against this cut.

 “This winter is set to be a hard one with energy prices set to rise, I hope that this new government does not abandon our elderly population.”

In his letter to her, he wrote: “As you are aware, the Prime Minister’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment will be put to a vote next week and I hope you will take this opportunity to speak up for our constituents. 

“More than a quarter of residents in Monmouthshire are over the age of 65 and this decision to remove this vital support will be incredibly damaging. I have been contacted by many residents worrying about this coming winter especially considering that the energy price cap is set to increase, costing the average household an extra £149. 

“The decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payments will be incredibly detrimental to pensioners in Monmouthshire and across Wales. According to the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, almost 20 per cent of older people live in relative income poverty, which equates to 150,000 people. I have listened intently to the arguments for implementing such a drastic cut and I must say I am far from convinced. I was especially disappointed by comments from the Leader of the Commons who seemed to imply that not axing this incredibly important lifeline would result in “a run on the pound, interest rates going up and crashing the economy.

“I hope you would agree that this is a gross exaggeration of the situation, especially considering the fact that the Prime Minister decided to increase the pay for already highly paid train drivers shortly after making the announcement. 

“To put it bluntly, the people of Wales, many elderly, and many incredibly vulnerable people are extremely upset and worried by the Prime Minister’s proposed cuts.

“I share their concerns and firmly believe these draconian plans must be reversed. I hope that you and your Welsh colleagues will stand up for the people of Wales and will be voting against the Prime Minister’s decision to axe Winter Fuel Payments. I know that difficult decisions must be taken in leadership, and that taking a stand against such decisions could put you and others in an awkward position. However, I firmly believe that the people of the constituency and across Wales need your support. 

“I hope that you and all Welsh MPs will stand up for the many thousands of people across Wales affected and will be voting against the Prime Minister’s decision to axe the Winter Fuel Payments.”

Meanwhile, another Senedd member, Laura Anne Jones the regional member for South Wales East, has called on the Senedd to rule out any moves to start charging motorists for every mile that they drive in Wales. Her move follows a series of press reports suggesting that the UK Labour Government is considering charging motorists a “pay-per-mile” tax on car journeys.