The Farnham & Bordon Liberal Democrats have sided with their Conservative MP amid anger over controversial cuts to winter fuel payments.

Greg Stafford MP recently encouraged constituents to join him in signing an Age UK petition calling on the government to reverse the “cruel” scrapping of payments.

And the party he narrowly beat to become the constituency’s inaugural MP agrees – with the FaB Lib Dems also calling on Rachel Reeves and Labour to “rethink” the cut as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.

Local party figures have urged Mr Stafford to vote against the cuts as an estimated 18,738 pensioners around the patch are at risk of losing the £300 payment the winter.

But they’ve also asked the MP to give pensioners the support they need by backing their tabled motion to that would block the government’s proposals and restore payments.

The figure is the estimated number of pensioners in FaB who don’t receive pension credit, compiled by the House of Commons Library based on data from the Department of Work and Pensions.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson Khalil Yousuf, who came second to Mr Stafford in the battle for FaB, urged Mr Stafford to back the motion.

He said: “Countless pensioners across Farnham & Bordon are worried about losing this vital support and how they will afford their energy bills this winter.

“Stripping support from many of the poorest pensioners in FaB just when energy bills are set to rise again is simply wrong. It could force vulnerable elderly people in our community to choose between eating and heating this winter.

“That is why we are urging our local MP, Greg Stafford to back the Lib Dem motion in Parliament next week and do everything they can to block these plans which could cause immense financial hardship in our area.”