Labour’s betrayal of older people on the Winter Fuel Payment will haunt the party in Scotland, the SNP has said – as new polling evidence shows Labour’s drop in support is most pronounced amongst older Scots.
A poll by Norstat conducted in the aftermath of the Budget showed a sharp decline in Labour support – and new analysis has confirmed that the biggest change in their support has been among people over the age of 55.
The poll shows a Labour to SNP swing of 12% among men over 55 and 15% among women over 55 – with only 12% of men over 55 and 14% of women over 55 thinking Keir Starmer is doing a good job as Prime Minister.
The poll overall shows that Labour support has declined to 21% – even lower than the 22% recorded at the 2021 Holyrood election in which the party finished third.
Commenting, SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said:
“Keir Starmer’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment will go down as one of the biggest political mistakes for generations – and Anas Sarwar’s confused stance has shown an extraordinary lack of leadership.
“It is no wonder then that older people in Scotland are turning away from Labour in such large numbers as the impact of that betrayal begins to bite and temperatures plummet.
“In contrast, the SNP’s Budget will fix Labour’s mess – reinstating universal winter heating support for all pensioners.
“We listened to older people in Scotland and we are taking action – that is what you can expect from a Swinney Government.
“But that vital support will only get to our pensioners if our Budget passes Parliament – and the pressure is now building on Anas Sarwar to confirm his support for the SNP’s measures to protect our older people.
“If he stands in the way of this support, Labour’s support amongst older Scots will only plummet further.”
