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A raging Martin Lewis has attacked Rachel Reeves over Winter Fuel Payments as he called on the British public to ‘collectively act’ to help the poorest pensioners in society.
The money expert returned to ITV1 and ITVX for his second hour-long live show of the week on Thursday night where he called out Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Labour government for not doing enough to help pensioners in the latest Budget.
A furious Martin said he had invited Chancellor Rachel Reeves to come on his The Martin Lewis Money Show Live but she had declined to take part.
He then explained to his audience in the studio and at home how the government’s decision to make the Winter Fuel Payment means tested, and its decision not to announce any mitigation for it in the Budget this week, is hurting the poorest pensioners.
Martin said: “1.4M people claim Pension Credit. Around 800,000 people eligible for Pension Credit don’t claim Pension Credit, it’s a critically underclaimed benefit.
“The idea of protecting the poorest pensioners through Pension Credit with the 240 question form, with the 800,000 people many with onset dementia who do not claim Pension Credit, we are not protecting 800,000 of them.
“I was expecting some mitigation from that because many people, me and Age Concern and others have been lobbying about this. It has not happened.”
Martin then issued an urgent call to the watching public to help pensioners because ‘the government aren’t doing anything’.
He added: I just want to say because the government aren’t doing anything.
“If you know someone on the state pension on a very low income, they’ve lost the Cost of Living payment, they’ve lost Winter Fuel Payment, please get them to check if they’re eligible for Pension Credit.
“More should have been done, it isn’t being done, get them to check, they just have to call up, it doesn’t matter if they’re not eligible, always check.
“Seven or eight hundred thousand of the poorest in our society who even the government thinks should be getting Winter Fuel Payments will not this winter.
“We perhaps collectively need to act on it.
“And Chancellor I wish you’d been on to talk to me about it.”