Labour issued warning against watering down home insulation promise after winter fuel payments “fiasco”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)
Labour has been warned it risks “another winter fuel payment disaster” if it backtracks on its home insulation pledge. New polling found that almost half of Labour voters – 46% – say any climbdown from the manifesto promise to spend an extra £6.6 billion on insulating millions of houses would further reduce trust in Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
The figure increases to 56% among those who voted for Labour at the last election but currently do not plan on backing them again, according to the Opinium research. Questions have been raised over the commitment after the Treasury declined to say whether it still stood ahead of next month’s spending review as Chancellor Rachel Reeves scrambles to find money to fund the winter fuel U-turn.
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Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “This polling clearly shows that it is now a case of heat or defeat for the Government.
“The Labour manifesto said the promised funding will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating to cut bills.
“Either they back a Warm Homes Plan to the full extent promised in the manifesto, or they will be punished at the ballot box.
“The Chancellor must not be able to engineer another winter fuel payment disaster by refusing to help tackle fuel poverty and MPs should make that clear.”
Ed Matthew, UK director of climate change thinktank E3G, added: “Cutting a programme that will make immediate and direct improvements to people’s lives would backfire.
“The public is sick of wasting money trying to heat cold, leaky houses and want this government to honour its manifesto pledge. If they fail to do so it would demonstrate that Labour have not learned from the winter fuel debacle at all.”
It comes after the Prime Minister last week announced a U-turn on the deeply unpopular winter fuel payments axe following an ongoing backlash.
The Government has faced fury since last July for stripping the previously universal allowance from most pensioners.
Ministers blamed a £22 billion black hole in the public finances left by the Tories, which they denied.
But Sir Keir used PMQs last Wednesday to reveal there would be a reversal after the policy was widely blamed for Labour’s pummelling in the local elections.
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “The energy shocks of recent years have shown the need to go further and faster to upgrade British homes, making them warmer and more efficient, while bringing down bills.
“Up to 300,000 households will benefit from upgrades through our Warm Homes Plan this year, rolling out measures like insulation, double glazing, solar and heat pumps.
“Last year’s initial settlement of £3.4 billion was a first step – and puts us on a pathway to fixing leaky homes and saving families money.”
