Reform UK’s pledge to ‘completely reinstate’ the fuel payments puts PM under pressure to do more than tweak entitlement for poorly off pensioners
The future of the winter fuel allowance has become a key issue in UK politics (Image: Getty)
Pressure is mounting on Sir Keir Starmer to end uncertainty and commit to the full restoration of the winter fuel allowance to the vast majority of pensioners. Reform UK has committed to “completely reinstate” the payments – as well as scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
Pensioners could decide the outcome of the next election with older age groups routinely having among the highest levels of turnout.
DON’T MISS
Powered by
Martin Lewis pushes for Winter Fuel Payment to pensioners on these council tax bands
Newly elected Reform MP Sarah Pochin told Times Radio: “A Reform Government will completely reinstate the winter fuel allowance across the board. “Why should people who have worked so hard all their lives, paid their taxes, they get to retirement, and they get this payment taken away?”
She described Labour’s shock withdrawal of the universal benefit in the weeks after the Budget as an “absolute betrayal of that generation”. More than 10 million pensioners lost the payments, which can be worth up to £300.
The Prime Minister last week signalled a u-turn is coming when he made a surprise announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday. He said he wanted “more pensioners” to qualify but did not spell-out how the present system of means-testing would change.
A key concern among campaigners is that the increase in eligibility may not be in place for this winter.
Dennis Reed of Silver Voices has warned there will be “all hell to pay politically” if “no new policy is in place in time for the coming winter”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage insists major savings which would free up cash can be made. He has pledged he would “scrap net zero” and “scrap the DEI agenda”.
Anger at the curtailing of winter fuel support is considered a key reason why voters turned away from Labour in this month’s local elections.
Labour Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News: “I don’t think it’s serious to suggest that millionaires should receive the winter fuel allowance, but we are committed to ensuring that more pensioners can benefit from the winter fuel allowance, as the Prime Minister said last week.”
Conservative Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride accused Mr Farage of making unfunded spending commitments, saying: “He has not got a clue as to how any of that is going to be funded and we’ve seen that playbook before, and it doesn’t lead to a good place.”
