LLA in the press: Winter Fuel Update

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned there will be “hell to pay” if he fails to restore fuel payments for pensioners in time for this winter. Campaigners warn the Prime Minister faces “political failure” if he does not bring back winter fuel payments for the large majority of pensioners.

It is feared pensioners in the grip of poverty will continue to miss out on support if the PM only tinkers with the method of means-testing the benefit. In a dramatic u-turn last week, Sir Keir said he wants more pensioners to qualify for the support – but he has not said how many more people will get the help with fuel bills or when the cash will arrive.

The shock scrapping of the benefit for millions of pensioners within weeks of Labour taking office is considered a key reason why the party suffered a drubbing in the recent local elections.

Dennis Reed of Silver Voices warned: “Keir Starmer has set himself up for political failure with his undefined u-turn on the winter fuel payment, unless the change of policy results in the large majority of pensioners having their payments restored. Expectations have now been raised, and if they are dashed Labour will be seen as betraying older people yet again.

“And if no new policy is in place in time for the coming winter there will be all hell to pay politically.”

The PM risks disappointing millions of pensioners if only a small minority have the benefit restored. The number of recipients crashed by nearly 90% to 1.3 million as a result of the cuts – a move which saved only around £1.5billion.

Mr Reed made the case for restoring universal entitlement, saying: “The universal benefit was the most cost-effective way of getting the support to all those who needed it. Any means testing system is costly, crude and there is always the problem of take-up of the benefit as there is with pension credit.”

Eamonn Donaghy, spokesperson for Later Life Ambitions, which represents more than 250,000 older people, pressed for Sir Keir to “scrap any arbitrary means test, reinstate the winter fuel payment for all pensioners, and show once and for all that they are on the side of our older people”.

He said: “All the Government has offered so far are warm words and that’s no use to worried pensioners. We need confirmation that the winter fuel payment will be reinstated before the cold sets in.

“It might not feel it right now, but for large parts of the UK that is mere months away.”