The Morecambe and Lancaster MPs have spoken out after a busy week in Parliament included a government U-turn on winter fuel payments to pensioners and a spending review.
On Monday it was announced that more than three-quarters of pensioners will receive the winter fuel payment this year.
Nine million pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income of £35,000 or less will now be eligible.
The payment, worth up to £300 to help with energy bills during the coldest months, was paid only to those on pension credit last year.
This policy, by the Labour government, was widely criticised.
Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale, said she welcomed the news that the Winter Fuel Allowance will be restored to all pensioners with an income lower than £35,000.
"This is good news and shows that the government is listening both to the public and backbench MPs like me who raised concerns over the threshold," said Ms Collinge.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the government announcement a "humiliating U-turn".
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the government had "finally realised how disastrous this policy was", adding the "misery it has caused cannot be overstated".
On Wednesday, Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the government's latest spending review.
This included £39bn to build affordable and social homes, a Growth Mission Fund for regeneration projects, £29bn investment in the NHS, defence spending up to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027, £15.6bn on public transport outside of London, £30bn for nuclear investment, 22.6bn for R&D (Research and Development) with a new industrial strategy and £7bn on new prison places.
A £3 cap on single bus fares was extended to at least March 2027, and money has been promised for improvements to parks, youth facilities, swimming pools and libraries - although there are suggestions that there may be Council tax rises to improve local authorities' spending power.
Ms Collinge said she was "really proud" of the spending review and Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster & Wyre, hailed "the end of austerity with departmental spending up by 2.3 per cent".
"I've written to the leader of Lancaster City Council encouraging them to take advantage of social housing opportunities and kickstart the long-stalled Canal Quarter (development in Lancaster)," said Ms Smith, posting on her official Facebook page.
Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said it was a "spend now, tax later review" and predicted "a cruel summer of speculation" ahead of the autumn Budget, when he said the chancellor would announce tax rises.
Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat treasury spokesperson, called for more money for social care, telling MPs: "Putting more money into the NHS without fixing social care is like pouring water into a leaky bucket."
Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay accused the chancellor of "balancing her spreadsheet on the backs of some of the worst off in our society" and urged the government should introduce a tax on the "super-rich".
On Thursday, it was announced that the UK economy has shrunk by more than expected.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.3 per cent in April, compared with growth of 0.2 per cent the previous month. This marked the biggest contraction since October 2023.
Rachel Reeves said the figures were "clearly disappointing" but said her plan for the economy would help deliver growth.
Also this week, Ms Collinge welcomed the government's newly announced expansion of free school meals to all children whose household is on Universal Credit.
Alison Hickson, head teacher of Sandylands Primary School in Morecambe, is pictured below with Lizzi Collinge at the opening of the 'Sandylands Little Sea Horses' nursery earlier this month
The new policy, which comes into force in 2026, will impact up to 3920 children in Morecambe and Lunesdale and up to half a million more children nationally, she said.
Since 2018, children have only been eligible for free school meals if their household income is less than £7,400 per year, meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty has been unable to access free school meals.
“This will help thousands of families in Morecambe and Lunesdale and shows that the government is committed to making life better for ordinary people," said Ms Collinge.
Alison Hickson, head teacher at Sandylands Primary School in Morecambe, said: “This is a step in the right direction. Children will benefit from having nutritious meals, enabling them to thrive. I welcome it.”
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