North East Pensioners Support Group Ltd responds to the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer

North East Pensioners Support Group Ltd notes today’s announcement that Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as Leader of the Labour Party and will stand down as Prime Minister.

Sir Keir was elected with a substantial parliamentary majority, but his premiership quickly lost the confidence of many pensioners and older people across the country. For our members and supporters, one of the most damaging decisions was the removal of Winter Fuel Allowance support from millions of pensioners.

Although that decision was later reversed, the damage had already been done. Many older people were left anxious, angry and uncertain at a time when heating costs, food prices and household bills continued to place real pressure on pensioner incomes.

North East Pensioners Support Group Ltd believes that older people should never be treated as an afterthought. Pensioners have worked, paid taxes, contributed to their communities and supported families across generations. They deserve dignity, security and respect from any government.

The continued failure to deliver justice for WASPI women has also deepened the sense that older people, and particularly older women, have been badly let down. Pensioners need more than warm words. They need fair treatment, clear policy and practical support.

North East Pensioners Support Group Ltd was formed to unite pensioners, future pensioners, families, carers and supporters across the generations. We are an independent, non-party-political organisation, but that does not mean we are neutral on issues affecting older people.

We will support any political leader, of any party or none, who is prepared to stand up for pensioners, oppose age discrimination and protect older people from poverty, insecurity and neglect.

On that basis, North East Pensioners Support Group Ltd believes Andy Burnham is the strongest available candidate to rebuild trust with pensioners and working-class communities. We believe he has shown a clearer understanding of regional inequality, public services and the pressures facing ordinary families than the outgoing Prime Minister.

Our support is not based on party loyalty. It is based on the urgent need for leadership that listens to pensioners, respects older people and understands the real impact of government decisions on people’s lives.

We now call on Andy Burnham, and on any incoming Prime Minister, to commit clearly to:

• protecting older people from fuel poverty;
• ensuring pensions are fair and adequate;
• addressing the injustice faced by WASPI women;
• opposing age discrimination in public policy;
• supporting welfare rights and income maximisation for older people;
• protecting hospices and palliative care;
• recognising the contribution pensioners continue to make to society.

North East Pensioners Support Group Ltd encourages its members and supporters to take an active interest in the leadership of the country and to support candidates who will put pensioners, older people and future pensioners back at the heart of public policy.

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