Laura Anne Jones the Senedd Member for South East Wales has condemned the decision by the UK Labour government to cut winter fuel payments for over 20,000 pensioners across Monmouthshire.

Speaking in the Senedd Laura said: “The Labour Government's decision to remove this vital benefit will force millions of pensioners to choose between heating and eating and could kill 4000 people. There has been huge confusion about what information the Government used to come to this decision. On Friday the Prime Minister said that they had not done an impact assessment before voting through the change, then later the Department for Work and Pensions published an internal report suggesting that 9 out of 10 pensioners aged between 66 and 79 will lose the benefit and 8 out of 10 pensioners over 80 will miss out.

 “Last May in a post on Facebook the MP for Monmouth said on Facebook that “Too many pensioners in Monmouthshire have told me how they have had to choose between heating or eating” yet a few months later she joined with hundreds of other MPs to remove the winter fuel support.

 “Every Labour MP who voted last week to cut money to some of the most vulnerable people in society must face the consequences of their decision.

 “Supporting pensioners is not just an economic responsibility but a moral one.”