FUEL TO THE FIRE
Winter Fuel Payment cut will plunge up to 100,000 pensioners into poverty, government admits
Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her Budget to withdraw the £200-£300 benefit from around 10million OAPs
UP to 100,000 more pensioners will be plunged into poverty after losing their Winter Fuel Payments, according to the government’s own figures.
Welfare Secretary Liz Kendall finally turned over her internal estimates yesterday which laid bare the scale of the cuts.
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And it came as Labour in Scotland defied Sir Keir Starmer with a pledge to reinstate the cold-weather cash if it gets into power north of the border.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her Budget to withdraw the £200-£300 benefit from around 10million OAPs.
Government modelling shows around 50,000 people will be pushed onto the breadline in relative poverty next year, and 100,000 by 2027, with 50,000 in absolute poverty.
The numbers are rounded up to the nearest 50,000, so it is unclear precisely how many are affected.
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The damning stats come despite ministers insisting the most vulnerable pensioners who claim pension credit will still receive the bung.
PM Sir Keir said the modelling did not account for the uptick in people claiming pension credit who are now eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.
He also pointed to the Warms Homes Discount and the rise in the state pension under the Triple Lock.
On Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar promising to reinstate universal payments if elected First Minister, Sir Keir added: “One of the features of devolution is there are, not infrequently, different approaches taken by different nations.”
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Tory Shadow Welfare Secretary Helen Whately said: “Finally the dam breaks and we get to see what Labour have known all along.
“Labour made a political choice to give inflation-busting pay rises to their union paymasters, and now 100,000 pensioners are going to be plunged into poverty."
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Lib Dem Daisy Cooper blasted: “Faced with these shocking figures, the Government must step up and do the right thing: finally reverse the Winter Fuel Payment cut.
"Cutting this allowance will drive more vulnerable older people into poverty, forcing them to choose between heating and eating.”
A Government spokesman said: "The modelling also doesn’t reflect that we have put in place extra support for those who need it most, such as our extension of the Household Support Fund.
"Many pensioners will also benefit from the £150 Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payments to help with energy bills and millions of pensioners are also set to benefit from an increase of up to £470 to the state pension in April.
“This government inherited a £22 billion black hole in our public finances, which means we needed to take tough decisions to balance the books.
"We continue to urge pensioners to check their eligibility for pension credit to ensure as many people as possible receive the support they’re entitled to."
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