Keir Starmer bowed to furious backlash and vowed to restore winter fuel payments for “more pensioners” after last year’s unpopular means-test axed £300 from over 10 million retirees.
👴 What’s on the table?
Downing Street reportedly shelved plans to fully reverse the cut. Instead, officials are exploring a two-step fix:
- Restore the £300 payment for everyone.
- Claw it back from the wealthiest pensioners via the tax system.
This mirrors George Osborne’s method in 2013 when he slashed child benefit for higher-income families under the Coalition Government.
🗓️ Autumn Budget timeline
Starmer promised details at the autumn Budget but didn’t specify numbers or dates. Sources say the decision to shift course came just a day before his PMQs announcement.
📈 A partial U-turn
No10 insists they won’t scrap the means-test entirely. Instead, the Treasury is examining thresholds to ensure only the richest miss out. One idea: set an income cap—if you earn above it, you repay the payment through your tax bill.
📊 Broader policy shake-up?
This winter fuel twist could trigger changes to other Tory cuts. The government delayed its child-poverty strategy until autumn amid Labour pressure to scrap the two-child benefit limit. Reports suggest Starmer wants to consider a full repeal, potentially costing £3.5 billion annually.
