UNITE’s Bristol retired members branch cornered Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Bristol North West MP Darren Jones as he held a coffee morning in his constituency at the weekend, demanding the government drop its attack on pensioners’ winter fuel payments.

The union has been campaigning in towns and cities across Britain for a rethink of the decision to means-test the payment, which will hit older people this winter as energy prices rise yet again.

“Jones had obviously been tipped off by his minders as he sat in his car for several minutes and was then ushered into the ‘coffee morning’ via a back door, which was instantly relocked,” a local activist told the Morning Star.

Unite member Keith Evans, who was allowed into the meeting, said: “Not only did Jones ignore and avoid the trade unionists outside, he stage-managed the meeting so that only non-controversial issues were raised. Why can’t ministers justify their own actions?”

Unite, Labour’s largest affiliate, led trade union opposition to the cut at the party’s conference this autumn, forcing and winning a vote against it on the conference floor, meaning the government’s decision to proceed anyway goes against their own party policy.

The union has not given up, having submitted an application to the High Court last month calling for a full judicial review of the policy.

Unite leader Sharon Graham said the judicial review was needed because “the government clearly failed to follow the proper legal measures before executing [the policy]. With winter approaching the courts must now hold the government to account and reverse this cruel cut as quickly as possible.”