Keir Starmer has said that the “sooner” ministers are able to provide clarity over the government’s winter fuel U-turn “the better”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4‘s Today programme, the prime minister reiterated that the government is reconsidering the eligibility threshold for winter fuel payments.
Starmer committed to expanding eligibility for the winter fuel payment at prime minister’s questions last month. Speaking in the House of Commons, Starmer said the government would change the threshold to allow “more pensioners” to qualify again.
The comments came after the prime minister was asked what measures he will take to help “struggling pensioners” through the cost of living crisis.
Starmer responded at PMQs: “I recognise that people are still feeling the pressure of the cost of living crisis, including pensioners. And as the economy improves, we want to make sure people feel those improvements as their lives go forward.
“And that is why we want to ensure that as we go forward, more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments…
“We will only make decisions we can afford. That is why we will look at that as part of a fiscal event.”
The winter fuel payment is a lump sum of £200 a year for households with a pensioner under 80, or £300 for households with a pensioner over 80. It was previously paid in November or December to all pensioners, but 10.3 million lost out last year after the government restricted eligibility to those who qualify for pension credit and other income-related benefits, to save an estimated £1.4 billion.
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The move, announced shortly after Labour took office last July, led to fierce criticism and an apparent backlash at the local elections on 1 May.
Speaking on Monday morning, Starmer appeared to acknowledge the need for clarity, restating his intention to “look again at where the threshold is.”
He commented: “If we want to look again at which pensioners are eligible, then the sooner we have clarity on that, the better.”
The prime minister also defended the original decision to cut the payments, stating: “It was right to make that decision.
“We inherited an economy which was completely broken. We went through the books and we found £22 billion pounds missing. We had to raise £22 billion simply to pay off, effectively, the bills that were left by the last government.
“I didn’t want to do that. No government wants to do that.”
Starmer pointed to recent positive economic news as a reason for the apparent about-face on winter fuel measures.
“We have now stabilised the economy”, he said. “We saw growth figures just a few weeks ago of 0.7 per cent, you’ve seen four interest rate cuts in a row, three trade deals have been done that were being tried by other governments for many, many years and failed.
“And the conditions now are conditions where we are stabilising the economy.”
Starmer was pressed further on why the government had decided now was the time to undo a “tough choice”.
He responded: “Well, I want to look again at where the threshold is. That’s for sure… I do think it was our duty to stabilise the economy and to fill in that £22 billion black hole. I’m not going to resile from that.
“I had a choice, and I knew what the choice was, which was to pretend the black hole wasn’t there, to come up with some fantasy numbers, which have been going on for years by other governments. And I took the view, I’m not going to do that.”
Asked again why he is choosing not to reveal the government’s plans at this moment, the prime minister added: “Well, I do need to be absolutely clear where the money is coming from.
“But I take your point, which is that if we want to look again at which pensioners are eligible, then the sooner we have clarity on that, the better.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
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