Today is the second day of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool and last week in Brighton the Liberal Democrats held their conference. Alison Bennett, the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex, introduced the “Opening of Conference” and commented

“With 72 MPs, we’re committed to reforming social care, supporting carers, fixing the sewage crisis, and improving lives across the UK.”

She also made a reference to Ed Davey’s enjoyment of visiting the Sussex Village of Ditchling to build a new stile with volunteers of ‘The Monday Group’.

On the 10th September Parliament discussed at length the “Winter Fuel Payment”. The significance of that session was that it was the first time that all of the Political Parties took part in the voting since the new Parliament was created. The first vote was focussed “Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 869): motion to annul” which obtained 227 MPs in favour and only Labour rejections of 348. The second and final was “Opposition Day, Winter Fuel Payment”, with 213 in favour and 335 rejecting. Nearly all of the Sussex MPs have taken part but Beccy Cooper the Labour MP for Worthing West did not vote or discuss and neither did Nusrat Ghani the Conservative for Sussex Weald. Along with Nusrat there were a few other Sussex MPs that did speak before the two sessions were Andrew Griffith, Mims Davies, Kieran Mullan and Alison Griffith for Conservatives. There was also Helena Dollimore for Labour and Jessica Brown-Fuller for Liberal Democrat.

The result showed 52 MPs had no vote recorded, including some ministers. It is not yet known how many of those were abstaining, as some MPs may have been absent for another reason. Some news items included comment from some pensioners expressing they did not require the winter fuel payment. However, in Parliament MP’s expressed views from their constituents.

Andrew Griffith, Conservative MP for Arundel and South Downs said

“My hon. Friend is making a powerful, emotive speech and quite rightly talking about some of the impacts on pensioners. Does she agree that those are exactly the impacts that should be captured in an impact assessment and brought before the House so that we can make an informed decision and that my 25,000 constituents in Arundel and South Downs, who may face a loss if the motion is not agreed to, are increasingly talking about Rachel Reeves as “Reckless Rachel” in proceeding with this measure?”

Mims Davies, Conservative MP for East Grinsted and Uckfield said

“Government Members will troop through the Lobby again, as fodder for an out-of-touch Prime Minister, or they may abstain to avoid the eyes of the Chancellor, deep in the hope that spraying billions of pounds on gimmicks like a shell company called GB Energy will be worth it. They must be aware that they will have to face people in their communities who will want to understand why a few millionaires were worth the attack on millions. Let us take June. She told the BBC that she will struggle to stay warm this winter. She is already planning her jumpers, cardigans and candles. My constituent Valerie from East Grinstead wrote to me—one of almost 20,000 affected—and said: “I am 80 years old and live on a State Pension of less than £11k, not the…£13k that I keep reading about… I don’t know who gets that much but I certainly don’t!” She goes on to say that it will be “a long, cold winter… please do what you can to get this dreadful decision reversed.” Labour Members could join us in the Lobby to back pensioners like Valerie.”

Kieran Mullan, Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle said

“We, in partnership with the Liberal Democrats, managed to keep winter fuel payments in those circumstances. I rise to express my strong opposition to the Government’s decision to remove the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners, a move that will strip vital financial support from thousands of my constituents—people who have contributed to our country and helped to build it. The impact in Bexhill and Battle will be profound: Age UK estimates that more than 25,000 pensioners will lose their winter fuel payment as a result of this decision. I hope the Government understand just how significant their decision is in constituencies such as mine.”

Jessica Brown-Fuller, Liberal Democrat MP for Chichester, described,

“In Chichester, we have 24,000 pensioners who are not receiving pension credits, many of whom sit just above the threshold—constituents such as Sherry, who is 80 and registered disabled. She has to maintain an even living temperature to deal with conditions while living in a 100-year-old cottage with poor insulation. Roy and his wife are in their late 80s and have burned through their meagre savings covering their rising energy bills during this cost of living crisis. Vicky writes to me about having to choose between eating and heating in the current winter months because she will not be able to afford to do both… Cutting the winter fuel allowance in the midst of a cost of living crisis will leave thousands of elderly individuals across Chichester and millions across the UK without the financial support they need to stay warm and healthy this winter. With the price cap due to rise in October, it could be argued that the winter fuel allowance is needed this winter more than ever.”