Major winter fuel payment update in Scotland as Keir Starmer comes under pressure

The Prime Minister is nether unit aft the Scottish authorities announced each OAP northbound of the borderline would person a wintertime heating outgo worthy astatine slightest £100 successful 2025

Keir Starmer was nether caller unit implicit cuts to pensioners' wintertime substance payments connected Thursday arsenic Scotland reinstated support.

The Scottish authorities announced each OAP northbound of the borderline would person a wintertime heating outgo worthy astatine slightest £100 successful 2025. The PM has been nether aggravated unit since the UK authorities axed the cosmopolitan wintertime substance outgo - worthy up to £300 - for millions of pensioners.

Support is alternatively being means-tested with lone the precise poorest OAPs connected pension recognition inactive eligible. But arsenic temperatures plummet, Scotland's Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced each pensioner northbound of the borderline volition person a outgo adjacent year.

Under the plans, those successful receipt of pension credit, and who person received a £200 oregon £300 outgo this twelvemonth volition get the aforesaid adjacent twelvemonth done the devolved scheme. But those who person missed retired this twelvemonth owed to the UK government's changes volition get £100.

The Scottish curate said she had been forced to "mitigate" decisions made by the UK Government, adding: "There has been change, but that alteration is that we are present mitigating against a Labour Government and not a Tory one. We volition not wantonness older radical this winter, oregon so immoderate winter, and we volition proceed to support our pensioners from the harsh world of a UK Labour Government."

The Independent Age foundation welcomed the move. Chief enforcement Joanna Elson said: "The Scottish Government has listened to the voices of those successful aboriginal beingness struggling financially successful Scotland and taken action. Now, the UK Government indispensable bash the aforesaid and marque definite older radical successful poorness proceed to person the Winter Fuel Payment."

It emerged earlier connected Thursday that hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners successful England, Scotland and Wales could inactive beryllium missing retired connected wintertime substance payments this year. In the summertime the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimated that 880,000 OAPs were eligible for pension recognition - making them eligible for a wintertime substance payment.

But lone 42,500 claims for pension recognition person been approved since the wintertime substance outgo announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, authoritative figures showed.