The Unite trade union has just slammed Labour bosses amid claims the party is trying to postpone a debate on the decision to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.
Delegates at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool were expected to vote against the controversial policy on Monday.
But the party’s Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC), which sets the agenda, is expected to delay it until Wednesday, when many delegates will already have left.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Right now it is fair to say that the Labour leaders have tried to silence the voice of pensioners, workers and communities at party conference in this blatant manoeuvre to block debate on winter fuel cuts and the departure towards Austerity Mark 2.
“When this becomes widely known there will be real anger among everyday people. Real anger.”
A row over the move also broke out on the conference floor on Monday morning.
According to the PA news agency, Unite’s Andy Green said: “This is simply an attempt to take out the debate on the winter fuel allowance.
“Today is economy day at conference and we have the chancellor speaking and a composite motion on the growth mission, which is scheduled for this morning.
“So, it is more of a surprise, in fact an outrage, to us that the composite motion from Unite and the CWU on economy for the future is not listed on the agenda for today.
“It is disrespectful to our members and every single delegate here and conference itself, who voted for the priorities ballot.”
Communications Workers Union (CWU)’s senior deputy general secretary Tony Kearns also asked why the motion was not scheduled amid claims it was “unlikely to be scheduled for debate this week”.
The chair of Labour’s conference arrangements committee, Lynne Morris, was heckled and booed by some delegates this morning when she tried to respond to the backlash.
She said: “This is a really busy conference and we are trying to accommodate as much as we can, and I’m going to take this back straight to CAC and I’ll come back to you with an answer ASAP.”
Meanwhile, the PM’s deputy spokesperson said: “There’s no change in our position on winter fuel, our focus remains on encouraging more people who should be eligible for pension credit to be applying for it, but the policy remains the same.”