Newbury’s MP is vowing to stand up for pensioners facing the prospect of losing the winter fuel payment. Before the Parliamentary recess new Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the £300 benefit would be axed for everyone but recipients of pension credit. She said this was due to the financial situation Labour had inherited from the Conservatives, saying it was “a £22bn hole in public finances”. The decision has provoked outrage, with Age UK launching a petition calling for a rethink. Its charity director, Caroline Abrahams, said: “What worries us the most is that we fear many will not be a…