Labour MP Liz Twist quits Age UK Gateshead role amid pressure over winter fuel payment cuts
A North East Labour MP has quit her role in a charity supporting older people, amid pressure over her backing for the Government’s cuts to winter fuel payments.
Liz Twist, the MP for Blaydon and Consett, has stepped down as the chair of Age UK Gateshead. The charity released a statement from her on Tuesday night, saying she had decided to leave the post due to “the consistent pressure being placed on the charity by a number of people”.
Ms Twist had previously released a statement last week countering “misinformation posted by some in local social media groups” claiming that she had resigned then. She voted with the Government last month over its contentious plans to remove the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners, something that some of her constituents are understood to have complained to Age UK Gateshead about.
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Age UK had run a petition campainging against the cut, which it warned was being made with "virtually no notice and no compensatory measures" and would "seriously hit" as many as 2.5 million pensioners who struggle to pay their energy bills.
The MP said in her statement on Tuesday night: "Age UK Gateshead is an amazing charity which does a huge amount of good work right across the borough of Gateshead and I have been proud to support the charity over many years in its work in practical ways as well as its chair. It is important to all of us that their work is able to continue.
"This is not a decision that I wanted to make, but it is necessary so that their work can carry on. I regret that a minority of people have chosen to bring their views around political decisions into a charitable setting in which the goal is to support those who need it most.
"The values of Age UK Gateshead are still close to my heart and I will continue to work with them. and all charities to support that vision. I would like to thank the Chief Executive, Ian Wolstenholme, the staff and the trustees for their incredible work in supporting older people across Gateshead.”