Helen Whately MP: speeches

Speeches

• 12 May 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment: Means-testing · Hansard source

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  I suspect that the hon. Members on the Government Front Bench are now surrounded: I suspect that they are the only people left in this Chamber who are prepared to defend the cutting of the winter fuel payment. Dozens of their own MPs have now joined a long list of people telling the Government that they have got it wrong, including the Welsh First Minister—talking about learning lessons from Wales—the money-saving expert Martin Lewis, and voters up and down this country. The Conservatives have led this campaign from the start, but if the Government will not listen to us, will they now listen to everyone else and think again?

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes an important point about transparency, and he recognises that this policy has had an impact not only on pensioners, but on other parts of Government, and therefore on other constituents. It is another thing that I hope the Government Back Benchers in the Chamber are taking note of, to pass on to their colleagues who, for some reason, have chosen not to be present to discuss this topic this afternoon.

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  I was indeed extremely shocked by that statistic; that is one reason why we need to have this debate today and try to get some of the data out of the Government. They were at the time, and continue to be, incredibly reluctant to share whatever they know about the impact of this cut on people, including the terminally ill.

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes exactly the important point I am making, which is that if the Government thought what they were doing would affect just the very wealthiest in society, they were very wrong.

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  I do not want to fall into the same trap as the hon. Lady did when she made those accusations. What she has just said does not describe the position of the Leader of the Opposition. I also remind her that today is an opportunity for the Government to answer questions, and that is what she should be looking to the Minister, rather than the shadow Minister, to do.

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  My right hon. Friend is exactly right. As I said a moment ago, I do believe that some Labour Members have consciences, but I am not sure which ones. Are those with consciences the ones who are hiding away from the Chamber because they feel guilty and do not want to hear this debate, or the hon. Members here who are actually going to stand up in support of pensioners and join us in the Lobby later.

• 19 Mar 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady asks about something that I have never said, so I was surprised to hear it.

• 3 Feb 2025 · Winter Fuel Payment: Pensioner Poverty · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Minister to his place. I have a simple question for him: how many people are still waiting for their winter fuel payment?

• 29 Jan 2025 · Welfare Cap · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady will know—at least I think she will know—that the vast majority of what she set out in the White Paper was the continuation of things we were doing in government. In fact, if she has read it she will see that it even says that the youth guarantee is essentially a new name for a repackaged set of measures that are already in place. That is literally in the White Paper. I am happy to follow up with her afterwards on the page that she will find that phrase on. I have yet to see a single sign to suggest that this Government can tackle the welfare bill, and the cap they are setting today tells us that they agree. The Opposition will support efforts to bring down welfare costs sensibly. We need a compassionate safety net, but that net should never become a trap. If the Government do not get a grip of the problem, it will put our entire social contract at risk. Ministers have finally twigged that action is required—a Green Paper is, they say, on its way. I urge the hon. Lady to get on with it, because each month that passes see thousands more drift out of work and into a life of inactivity.

• 16 Dec 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  How many people who should get the winter fuel payment will get it this winter?

• 16 Dec 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Unfortunately, the right hon. Lady simply will not give a straight answer. She will not tell the House what she knows; she knew that the Government’s choices would push 100,000 pensioners into poverty and she did not tell the House that, either. Let us try this question instead. The Government’s own figures show that pensioners applying now will have to wait until the spring to find out whether they will get winter fuel money. What is her advice to a pensioner sitting in the cold and wondering if they can afford to turn on their heating this Christmas?

• 26 Nov 2024 · “Get Britain Working” White Paper · Hansard source

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  I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her statement. The Conservatives are the party of work and aspiration— [ Interruption. ] In the decade after we took over from Labour, we drove down unemployment— [ Interruption. ]

• 16 Oct 2024 · Broadband Connectivity · Hansard source

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  My constituents in Throwley and Wichling have been battling for high-speed broadband. We thought we had it over the line, but in a recent telephone conversation Building Digital UK said that it was still to be confirmed. Would the Secretary of State be willing to meet me to discuss how we can ensure that those communities do not miss out again?