With summer firmly in the rear view mirror and winter just around the corner, many will be toying with the idea of putting their heating on as the temperature tumbles.

However, based on some of the conversations I have been having in recent weeks, blasting the heating is now nothing but a far flung dream for many.

Nearly 100,000 pensioners across my region of South Wales East are set to be punished by Sir Keir Starmer’s cruel decision to cut winter fuel payments.

In total, a staggering £110 million is being snatched away from our pensioners – after a lifetime of paying in to the tax system.

To put it bluntly, many will be left facing the unimaginable choice of eating and heating this winter.

Scrapping winter fuel payments is simply unacceptable, and the Welsh Conservatives have been doing all we can to put pressure on the UK Labour Government to reverse the cuts.

We recently held a debate in the Welsh Parliament expressing our concerns over the impact these cuts will have, and calling on all parties to unite and join our calls for a rethink.

Shockingly, just a handful of Labour politicians – I can count them on one hand – turned up to listen and contribute to the debate.

But perhaps what’s more shocking and shameful, is that when the vote came, every one of them failed our pensioners and shot our motion down.

The consequences of scrapping this essential payment are unthinkable.

According to the Labour Party’s own research, cutting winter fuel payments could lead to nearly 4,000 extra deaths.

Just let that sobering fact sink in.

It is absolutely baffling that despite being armed with that very stark statistic, Labour MPs still went ahead and pushed these cuts through.

And mix the cut to winter fuel payments with the fact that energy bills are set to rise again, even more people are facing a truly dreadful winter.

A recent survey revealed that nearly half of adults in Great Britain are expected to limit their energy usage this winter.

Worryingly, 4% of people are even planning on limiting their use of essential medical equipment with nearly a quarter of those surveyed admitting to eating cold meals to avoid using their oven.

How on earth can this be right?

Across the UK, around 10 million pensioners are set to lose this allowance because they are deemed to be too well off.

However, the reality is – and I must admit it has been heartbreaking to read some of the stories – there are pensioners who are going to be denied this vital support because they are over the threshold by a couple of quid.

Examples like this just go to show that the Labour Government’s idea of means testing the allowance simply doesn’t work.

We should be supporting our pensioners, not seeking to punish them and push them into fuel poverty.

We need to see our newly elected MP here in Monmouthshire, and Labour MPs across the country, stand up for their constituents.

They need to be taking residents’ concerns directly to the Prime Minister and demanding he reverse cuts to the winter fuel payment.

But of course the Prime Minister couldn’t care less. He doesn’t need to worry about the cost of putting his heating on.

This winter he will be wrapped in the mountain of lavish clothes from some luxury department store which was given to him by some flush party donor.

Rest assured I and my Welsh Conservative colleagues will do all we can to restore this essential allowance, but our Labour MPs must now take a stand and represent their constituents.

As ever, if there is anything I can do to help please do not hesitate to contact me by calling 01633 215138 or emailing [email protected].