Union head calls on UK’s Starmer to reverse winter fuel payment limits

LIVERPOOL, England, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The head of one of Britain's biggest trade unions will call on Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday to overturn his Labour government's decision to limit fuel payments to the elderly, describing the move as "cruel" towards the poorest in society.

Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union which has more than 1 million members in Britain and Ireland, will tell Sky News she wants Starmer to say the move was a misstep and reverse a policy that will means-test the payments which help some pensioners cover increasingly expensive fuel bills.

Starmer says he was forced to make tough decisions after the previous, Conservative government left a 22-billion-pound ($29-billion) black hole in public finances - a charge the Conservatives deny.

The row over the cuts to the winter fuel allowance could cast a pall over Labour's annual conference in the northern city of Liverpool, an event Starmer wants to be a celebration of the party returning to power after 14 years.

"I think the priority that I'd like to hear from him is that he's going to reverse the decision on the winter fuel allowance. It's a cruel policy. He needs to reverse it," Graham will tell Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, according to the Sky show.

"And I'd like him to say that he's made a misstep and to reverse that policy. I'd also like him to say that we're not going to take this country down austerity mark two. People voted for change. They need to see change."

The government says the move will save around 1.3 billion pounds in 2024/25 and then 1.5 billion in later years, funds necessary to spur economic growth.

With a large majority in parliament, Starmer and his team believe they can weather criticism of policies in the short-term, hoping that by controlling spending they can be create the conditions for more investment and growth.

But with the government suggesting its budget in late October will be "painful" and warning of tough times to come, Starmer has been criticised for overdoing the pessimism, causing consumer confidence to slump.

Graham said it was time for a rethink, criticising a decision that she said took away the winter fuel allowance from the poorest while leaving the wealthiest "pretty much untouched." ($1 = 0.7507 pounds) (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Timothy Heritage)