Nearly 100,000 pensioners across South Wales East are going to be a lot worse off this winter thanks to Labour ministers in Westminster.

Their cruel decision to axe vital winter fuel payments will leave many in our communities facing the tough choice between eating and heating.

Across Wales, around 400,000 pensions will be hit by this move with £110m being snatched away from them.

Those who will be hurt the most by Sir Keir Starmer’s callous act are the ones who have worked and contributed to our tax system their whole lives.

Scrapping winter fuel payments is simply unacceptable.

Recently, the Welsh Conservatives held a debate in the Senedd expressing the very serious concerns we have over these plans.

The motion also called upon MSs to unite and send a message to the Labour Westminster Government that the cuts must be reversed.

Not only did the majority of Labour politicians refuse to turn up to the debate, but when voting time came every single one of them failed to support our pensioners.

They showed their true colours and rejected our motion.

Ahead of the debate, I was contacted by many worried constituents and campaign groups including the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Hearing just how much removing winter fuel payments would affect my constituents and those living with conditions such as MND really hammered it home for me.

MND is a cruel condition which sees the gradual breakdown of the body’s muscles.

Extra heating is paramount in helping maintain quality of life, but now some living with MND won’t be able to afford to put their heating on.

The consequences of scrapping this essential payment are unthinkable.

Let’s not forget that Labour’s own figures from 2017 predicted that cutting winter fuel payments would lead to nearly 4,000 extra deaths during winter.

When our new First Minister was questioned over her party’s brutal actions she developed a convenient case of slopey shoulders.

The new leader suggested we should not be challenging her over matters such as these and told the Senedd: “If you want to go and ask Keir Starmer, you should have gone into Westminster.”

To have such a flippant attitude towards something so important, something which will impact around 400,000 Welsh pensioners, is appalling.

Labour’s mask has slipped. They aren’t the party of compassion, and the actions of Labour politicians – both in Westminster and Cardiff Bay – must not be forgotten.

Natasha Asghar is a Senedd member for South Wales East. This is her view, not that of the Argus.