I met with pensioners protesting winter fuel cuts - why Rachel Reeves should be worried

Torrential rain failed to dampen the spirits of the winter fuel protesters who gathered outside the Labour conference.

Brandishing banners as well as brollies, they called on the government to rethink its cruel cuts that will leave 10 million pensioners short of hundreds of pounds this winter.

Why should older people pay for a crisis they did not create, they asked.

But inside the conference hall, the pleas fell on deaf ears as a beaming Rachel Reeves made a virtue of taking "tough decisions."

Restricting payments to people who receive pension credit means the allowance is "only targeted to those most in need".

Ms Reeves admitted it would not be a popular move but insisted she would "not duck" decisions for political expediency or personal advantage.

The tough talk is aimed at showing this is an iron Chancellor who will not be blown off course by a public backlash, even if - especially if - that includes the trade unions.

Clashing with the unions is often a good way for a Labour government to reassure the public that it is not too radical.

But this time around, the unions, the charities, political opponents from left to right and, crucially, voters are overwhelmingly united in their opposition to the cuts.

While the Chancellor spoke of her delight at being the first woman to hold the role and how pleased she was at the scale of the Labour landslide, pensioners stood outside in the rain to tell of their worries about the cold winter ahead.

The scale of the continuing anger should worry the government.

Ms Reeves has four weeks to listen to the public and find a solution in time for the budget or face the consequences for years to come.