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LBC callers react as the government U-turns on winter fuel payment
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Jun 6, 2025
Pensioners are set to benefit from a government U-turn on winter fuel payments. Lewis Goodall hears from LBC callers. 0:01 | Caller Trevor says he deserves his parents' home because they 'worked hard for it' 3:50 | 29-year-old Gavin thinks this country is like 'a big nursing home' 6:42 | Caller Jill says the 'division between generations has to end' 8:47 | 27-year-old Kos believes young people are 'getting destroyed in real time' Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #lewisgoodall #youngpeople #genz #housing #inequality #capitalism #rent #studentdebt #university #economy #uknews #ukpolitics LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
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0:00
Um, that's my inheritance that's going down the pan, by the way
0:03
I live at home. Yeah, but Trevor, no one has a right to inheritance. I'm sorry
0:07
Well, I'm sorry, but you do. No, you don't. Like, why? Why? Why do you
0:11
Why do you have a... So what? That's just a political choice. I mean, you can say, in which case..
0:16
Well, in which case, well, why should a young person... Why should a young person have their income
0:20
which they are themselves working towards every single day? Why should they be taxed more so you can inherit something you haven't earned
0:29
A mate of mine works at AWE, right? And the apprenticeships there take home... Honestly, this annoys me
0:33
Apprenticeships take home £2,000 after tax. Oh, so young people have got it easy, have they
0:39
So you're telling me... Trevor, you're whinging about not getting an inheritance and you're complaining about young people working every day
0:44
and getting some money. I'm not complaining about... What are you on about? I'm not complaining about that
0:48
I'm just telling you... Well, you are. You just said... I'm telling you that what my mum is having to go through
0:54
lose all her money. Fortunately, the house won't go because I've been living there long enough
0:59
Right. But she is dying, right? I'm sorry to hear that, Trevor
1:04
But what I'm saying to you is, let me say, I think, as you just heard what I said about Theresa May
1:09
and about what she proposed, actually, that would have helped your mum because her assets would have
1:13
yeah, because the threshold would have gone up to 100,000 in terms of assets. So she would have actually been assisted
1:18
The reason, though, that never happened is because we have a political culture, which I think you're exemplifying
1:23
which is like... She'd have had to have sold the house. Only when she had died, yes
1:27
Yeah, and that's my house, because I haven't got anywhere else to go. Well, I'm... I got divorced and went back home
1:31
Young people don't have anywhere else... Young people... I'm sorry, Trevor, but no one has a right to inherit..
1:38
There's no... Yes, they have. No, they haven't. You're saying that younger people
1:41
should be taxed more. They're going out to work. No, no, Trevor, I'm sorry, right? This is extremely entitled
1:46
Well, you can have a heart attack shouting and all that. I'm telling you, right? I am telling you
1:51
that I have got every right. That is my mum's house, my dad's house
1:54
and they paid for it. Everything is. But you didn't. It's their house, not yours. It's theirs
1:59
It's not yours. And they can hand it to me. Well, yes, and I'm sure that would be terribly convenient to you
2:04
Well, it's Victorian times. Well, I'm sorry, Trevor. Actually, yeah, we are heading back to Victorian times
2:08
in terms of the level of inequality of wealth that we have in this country. We are. What I'm saying to you is, right, and OK, these are political choices
2:15
There's no right or wrong answer here. You're saying that you're prioritising, perhaps rather conveniently
2:20
but you're prioritising your right to inherit your mother and father's house
2:24
that they work for, not you, they work for. I saying to you that I would rather tax inheritance and assets unearned assets which more like that you going to receive and reduce taxation on younger people on their income that they working for every day
2:40
They deserve that pay packet. They deserve lower taxes. I've worked, true. I'm self-employed
2:46
Well then where's your house? I'm self-employed and this government are crucifying businesses as well
2:52
But Trevor, Trevor, yes, and I'm saying the same thing. Your taxes should come down. I agree with that
2:57
for stuff you've worked for, but not for stuff you haven't worked for
3:01
That's just entitled. It's literally what entitled means. Well, you can have your family do what you want to do
3:08
and you can have their family. Well, my family don't have any assets, I'm afraid, Trevor, so there we go
3:12
And I don't expect them to have, and if they did, I wouldn't expect them to give it to me. I would rather, yeah, I grew up in a council house
3:17
as a matter of fact, yeah. Well, then you own a lot of money because you buy the council houses
3:21
and they're worth a lot more. No, don't. My parents now live in private rented accommodation
3:26
The point is, is what I'm saying to you, what I'm saying to you, right, is that you are exactly the problem here
3:33
You are saying you are you afraid so, Trevor. I'm afraid so. Because because what you're saying is, is that you're saying your mum and dad, your mum and dad work very hard
3:42
And I respect that. I'm sure you work hard as well. But you've got to recognize that younger people work really, really hard and they might not have someone to give them a house
3:50
So I'm 29 and it really pains me to hear Trevor speak just then and the likes of Trevor
3:56
And that's not all that like wanting to vilify other people. But I think just there is a lack of understanding and efforts to make things right
4:05
It kind of feels like this country is a big nursing home. And I feel like I'm really in a lost generation
4:13
You know, for my circumstances, I am single. I live alone in London
4:19
I managed to qualify for something called London Living Rent. I've always been kind of working middle class with a single mother
4:26
whilst I've been through this kind of government scheme, I've managed to get a slightly better job, save up more
4:33
But as my earnings have increased, what's happened is my student loans interest has increased to 7.6%
4:40
So actually, as I've earned more to be able to pay off more, actually, that's only just gone to interest then
4:45
Which I think, I mean, I've mentioned it a few times in the last 90 minutes, Gavin, but I think it's an absolute scandal
4:50
It's a scandal. I mean, I've done stuff on the newsagents about it. I talk about it as much as I can, but it's just
4:55
it gets no traction which is exactly exemplifying what I trying to say which is that you know much bigger much bigger inequities and difficulties that young people are facing every day get almost no attention whatsoever Whilst you know something like Winterfuel which is a very minor part of the welfare state a very minor part of what old people receive has generated such controversy
5:17
Yeah, yeah, totally. And, you know, like, I think on top of that as well, trying to buy this property, which the scheme is designed to do, you know
5:26
it's then managed by a private company. So I'm getting my hopes up thinking, and I finally have a chance to buy somewhere
5:32
this private company is then trying to push me towards shared ownership
5:36
which is just renting but worse. It kind of feels like, you know, seraphdom, feudalism, that kind of vibe
5:41
But then the deposit, they're saying they believe that the property is worth
5:44
between £700,000 and £850,000. So I'm actually, I cannot afford what is kind of, you know, I guess social housing
5:54
I would need for an average property in London about £60,000 or £70,000 worth of savings
5:59
when I account for all the costs of moving, all the legal fees, the deposit itself
6:03
to then qualify for an exorbitant 4.6% mortgage, it means I'm probably going to be paying close to a million pounds
6:10
for a property over the course of my lifetime when you account for all the money that you're paying into it
6:15
But I just think more needs to be done to pop up younger people
6:20
because ultimately we're looking at countries like Japan, Korea, where they're going through this problem a lot faster than we are
6:27
the right seem to be obsessed with falling birth rates, yet they don't want to do anything to actually help people out
6:34
Absolutely. If you really care about that, do something to support young people. You know, I'm 29
6:38
My mum had a kid at 21. Yeah. I could not even think of that. We have children
6:44
You know, there is no... This division between generations is just awful
6:49
Oh, and Jill, don't get me wrong. Jill, don't get me wrong. Let me just say that. Yeah, you know, we have children that we worry about
6:57
When I was working full-time, most of my salary went to pay my son's rent because he couldn't afford to buy
7:03
And he couldn't afford to pay rent either. So we care. We know what it's like
7:09
Because we are living it through our children. Absolutely. And I can see from so many people, so many texts and WhatsApps, older people getting in touch, saying exactly what you're saying
7:20
And it's not about pitting generations against each other. I don't intend to do that because it's too crude
7:25
you've got rich pensioners you've got rich young people you've got poor pensioners
7:28
you've got poor young people so it's as much about class as anything it's as much about geography as anything
7:33
it's not just about age but what I'm saying is which I think you recognised is that it not so much about the equity of it as such it about the conversation It about the fact that so much ends up and this is as I say a fault of the media as much as anything
7:46
but there is so much emphasis placed on this relatively small thing compared to the really profound problems
7:53
that afflict day after day, particularly young people, the children and grandchildren, as you say, of older people
7:59
And older people can see, are the first ones to be able to see, that's not right. Yeah, no, no, I absolutely agree with you. I totally agree with you. I mean, the other point about the percentage of older people that own such a high percentage of properties, that's not our fault. That was just the way things were
8:19
Absolutely right. I mean, in fact, you know, so please don't feel bitter towards us
8:26
No, I think what I think, Jill, I think. The only reason we were able to buy the house
8:31
I mean, I'm 66, my husband's 70, when we were in our 20s, we initially rent it
8:37
was because my husband's grandfather left us a bit of money when he died
8:42
And we were able to buy it, otherwise we'd still be renting. You know, I'm 27 years old, and we are getting destroyed in real time
8:50
It's disgusting. For me to get onto the property ladder is 4.5 times our salary
8:55
You can only imagine if I was on 30K, you know, I would only be able to get for 135K, which is nothing
9:02
What can I get in London for that? I'm actually quite, you know, you know, I'm earning quite a good salary
9:07
I'm in London. You know, my rent's about 1,300 a month. I'm way above, you know, my salary is way above average and I'm still struggling
9:15
You know, I'm going to have to wait until I get married so I can join up the, you know, get a joint mortgage, essentially, so I can borrow more
9:22
and it's just disgusting what the situation is right now. Do you feel, I can tell
9:28
do you feel this sense of injustice pretty strongly? Yeah, yeah. I just think that, you know
9:35
it was a lot easier for the older generation back in the days just because if they, you know, work for a year's salary
9:42
they can jump onto the property ladder. For us, we have to work so much more
9:46
just to get onto the property ladder. It's not all about property either. No. It's about assets, you know, other assets, about our savings
9:51
and about our lifestyles. What are we going to do when we get families
9:55
We can't even get families. We don't even think about kids now because we have to think about money
9:59
Because in life there's three things, health, relationships and money. Health is affected, our relationships are affected
10:05
and our money is affected. How are we going to move up in life? There's nothing to do
10:09
My salary is good. I'm quite fortunate. Imagine the people stuck on 30k
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