Keith Brown MSP, Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Clackmannanshire & Dunblane constituency has called out the LABOUR MPs who represent his constituents in Westminster for voting with the UK Labour government in favour of cutting the Winter Fuel Payment, accusing them of putting party before pensioners.

This follows calls from several political parties, including the SNP, and third sector organisations to turn around on the decision – which looks set to see almost 900,000 pensioners across Scotland miss out on the £300 payment this winter.

Commenting, Keith said:

“Labour MPs campaigned on the promise of change, but it is becoming clearer by the day that promise was as empty as the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s pockets.  

“All the SNP MPs voted against this Labour austerity and they were joined by a sole brave English Labour MP with a number of others abstaining.  

“However, I was disappointed – though not surprised – to see those Labour MPs who are supposed to represent my constituents in Westminster choosing to put party before pensioners.  And it is those pensioners who will now pay the price for Labour’s dishonesty and their ridiculous commitment to matching Tory fiscal rules.

“I call on those Labour MPs to now apologise to communities across my constituency for voting in favour of slashing the Winter Fuel Payment, and I echo the calls being made by my SNP colleagues for the Labour government to see sense and reverse this decision before Scottish pensioners are forced to endure a winter without it.”