Labour conference: Unite general secretary Sharon Graham Winter Fuel Allowance speech

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham today moved the motion on winter fuel allowance at Labour party conference. The full text of the speech is below:

“The nation wants food, work and homes… It wants a high and rising standard of living, security for all, against a rainy day…”

“Friends, that’s a quote from the 1945 Labour Manifesto, written in the shadow of death, destruction and debt, caused by years of war.

“A manifesto of hope.

“Written at a time when our debt to GDP was 270 per cent. Nearly three times higher than it is now.

“Yet, no mention of cuts, no mention of austerity and certainly no mention of making everyday people pay.

“Labour then knew, that to make Britain more equal, they had to think and act differently.

“They knew to make it count. To make a real difference, Labour could not simply be better managers, they had to make lasting change.

 “They promised: jobs, homes and education. And built a national health service on the back of crisis.

 “Their story wasn’t one of tightening belts or making some of the poorest in our society pay.

 “Friends, people simply do not understand, I do not understand, how our new Labour government can cut the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and leave the super-rich untouched.

 “This is not what people voted for. It is the wrong decision and needs to be reversed.

“Friends, we are the sixth richest economy in the world. We have the money. Britain needs investment, not austerity mark two. We won’t get any gold badge for shaving peanuts off our debt.

“These fiscal rules are self-imposed and the decision to keep them is hanging like a noose around our necks.

“Friends, our public services and British industry need investment now. It’s no good having sympathy for workers at Grangemouth losing their jobs. They don’t need pity. They need Labour to step up to the plate and not allow a billionaire, who buys a football club as a hobby, to throw these workers on the scrap heap. 

“We cannot leave Britain at the whim of footloose corporations.

 “Hoping for them to invest is a prayer not a plan.

 “Yes, Britain is broken. Yes, the Tories have left a mess and yes, they are to blame.

 “But Labour is now in Government, and we can’t keep making everyday people pay. Friends, I keep hearing, ‘a wealth tax is too difficult, would take too long’.

 “I say absolute rubbish. We seem to be able to get workers paying their taxes in a matter of weeks! 

 “The system is rigged and the country knows it. 

“Friends, let’s hold up our heads and be proud to be Labour. Let everyday people know – we are on their side. Let’s put our arms around the working class and make lasting change.

“Solidarity, I move.”

She was backed by Alan Tate, from the Communication Workers Union, who told conference his union had been “inundated with emails and calls from our retired members worried about choosing between heating and eating. 

The Morning Star reports that following Sharon Graham’s speech, two delegates spoke to defend the government and were received warmly:

“Two constituency delegates were sent up to back the Starmer-Reeves line. 

Pensioner Maggie Cosin from Dover and Deal, better known as a former party functionary as the right’s “witch- finder-general,” said she did not need the allowance and gave it to her local food- bank instead each year, which begged several questions. She tried to channel Nye Bevan by accusing critical delegates of having an “emotional spasm.” 

Ellie Emberson from Reading West, a Unite member seemingly deployed against her own union, said: “Unless we stabilise the economy we cannot invest in the public services we love.” 

Alas, the record must show that a large majority of constituency delegates gave very warm support to these two speeches, which constituted the totality of the debate allowed on the issue. 

A show of hands in the hall indicated a very tight vote, but the chair correctly declared the motion carried as it was clearly backed by nearly all affiliated unions, which a card vote would have revealed. 

The vote is not binding and is unlikely that the government will change policy as a result, but the political embarrassment of being reproved by its own party not three months into office is considerable.”