Winter fuel payments won't be universal, says minister

Winter fuel payments will not be reinstated for all pensioners, a minister has said in a blow to millions of people across the country.

- MILLIE COOKE, ARCHIE MITCHELL

It came as Rachel Reeves confirmed an expected U-turn on the controversial cuts would be in place for this winter, but said the government would not set out details of how it would pay for it until the autumn Budget.

Sir Keir Starmer last month announced his intention to give more people access to winter fuel payments, just months after Labour made the previously universal payment means-tested.

But there has been growing confusion over what these changes would look like, who they will affect and when they would be introduced.

Yesterday, pensions minister Torsten Bell confirmed there was no prospect of returning to a universal winter fuel payment for all.

Speaking to the work and pensions committee, Mr Bell said: "Directly on your question of is there any prospect of a universal winter fuel payment, the answer is no, the principle I think most people, 95 per cent of people, agree, that it's not a good idea that we have a system paying a few hundreds of pounds to millionaires, and so we're not going to be continuing with that.

"But we will be looking at making more pensioners eligible." It was initially expected that the changes would be unveiled at next week's spending review, but the chancellor has now said the government will "set out how everything would be paid for in the budget in the autumn".