WHEN the new Labour government announced it was ripping away the winter fuel allowance from pensioners, the impact still seemed some way off. 

It probably hoped people would forget about it while the mild months of late summer and autumn rolled on. 

But the plunge in temperatures experienced across the country over the past week has brought this callous decision into sharper focus than ever. 

As elderly residents across the city jacked up their heating, the financial reality set in. 

With every minute their expensive heating was on, the pressure grew on their own bank account. 

There used to be a lifeline in the form of the winter fuel payment, up to £300 for some, and now that has gone. 

Across the city, pensioners will be making the stark choice between switching their heating off to preserve other household budgets, or going short on other crucial items like groceries and supplies just to live in a safe and bearable environment. 

Labour like to pretend this isn’t going to impact too many people. 

But their own government’s analysis shows nearly 55,000 people in Glasgow will lose this payment. 

Yes, some may well be able to afford this. 

But we know the deprivation levels in Glasgow, and we know how other costs – especially energy bills – have rocketed in recent years. 

This is a killer blow for thousands, and it came about through nothing more than a naive and ignorant policy choice. 

As she has already proved in her short tenure, chancellor Rachel Reeves is too stubborn to admit she got it wrong, and won’t be persuaded even as pensioners across the UK freeze. 

She’s more likely to double down than repent. 

Speaking to constituents, the issue goes deeper than simply not being able to turn the heating on. 

There are dignity issues with people who’ve worked and paid their taxes for decades – they don’t want to beg for more government support, and nor should they. 

And if they are still able to afford a warm home, many other areas of their life will suffer. 

It may not keep Sir Keir Starmer up at night but for these people other tough choices will have to be made, such as scrapping modest holiday plans to reducing Christmas presents to their beloved grandchildren – something that brings immense joy to both the giver and the receiver. 

Voters won’t recall seeing a pledge to steal Christmas on the Labour manifesto. 

The party in Scotland seems to recognise the rage this policy has provoked, but the promise to reverse it at the next Holyrood election isn’t good enough. 

Just hold on for two more brutal winters – if you can – and we’ll see about doing something in the summer of 2026. 

The SNP don’t escape blame in all this either. 

They may fume publicly about the cut, but they haven’t delved into their own budget to sort it out. 

Again, political choices being made that have real-world, devastating consequences for tens of thousands of Glaswegians. 

Both by parties who profess to care deeply about the most vulnerable in society. 

Maybe Labour thought by announcing this in July that people’s attitudes would have thawed by the time it came into practice. 

The opposite is true, and it’s time for them to swallow their pride, admit they got this one wrong, and protect people who deserve better after decades of working hard and paying their taxes.