Winter Fuel Payment cut will plunge up to 100,000 pensioners into poverty, government admits

UP to 100,000 much pensioners volition beryllium plunged into poorness aft losing their Winter Fuel Payments, according to the government’s ain figures.

Welfare Secretary Liz Kendall yet turned implicit her interior estimates yesterday which laid bare the standard of the cuts.

And it came arsenic Labour successful Scotland defied Sir Keir Starmer with a pledge to reinstate the cold-weather currency if it gets into powerfulness northbound of the border.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her Budget to retreat the £200-£300 payment from astir 10million OAPs.

Government modelling shows astir 50,000 radical volition beryllium pushed onto the breadline successful comparative poorness adjacent year, and 100,000 by 2027, with 50,000 successful implicit poverty.

The numbers are rounded up to the nearest 50,000, truthful it is unclear precisely however galore are affected.

The damning stats travel contempt ministers insisting the astir susceptible pensioners who assertion pension recognition volition inactive receive the bung.

PM Sir Keir said the modelling did not relationship for the uptick successful radical claiming pension recognition who are present eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.

He besides pointed to the Warms Homes Discount and the emergence successful the authorities pension nether the Triple Lock.

On Scottish Labour person Anas Sarwar promising to reinstate cosmopolitan payments if elected First Minister, Sir Keir added: “One of the features of devolution is determination are, not infrequently, antithetic approaches taken by antithetic nations.”

Tory Shadow Welfare Secretary Helen Whately said: “Finally the dam breaks and we get to spot what Labour person known each along.

“Labour made a governmental prime to springiness inflation-busting wage rises to their national paymasters, and present 100,000 pensioners are going to beryllium plunged into poverty."

Lib Dem Daisy Cooper blasted: “Faced with these shocking figures, the Government indispensable measurement up and bash the close thing: yet reverse the Winter Fuel Payment cut.

"Cutting this allowance volition thrust much susceptible older radical into poverty, forcing them to take betwixt heating and eating.”

A Government spokesperson said: "The modelling besides doesn’t bespeak that we person enactment successful spot other enactment for those who request it most, specified arsenic our hold of the Household Support Fund. 

"Many pensioners volition besides payment from the £150 Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payments to assistance with vigor bills and millions of pensioners are besides acceptable to payment from an summation of up to £470 to the authorities pension successful April.

“This authorities inherited a £22 cardinal achromatic spread successful our nationalist finances, which means we needed to instrumentality pugnacious decisions to equilibrium the books.  

"We proceed to impulse pensioners to cheque their eligibility for pension recognition to guarantee arsenic galore radical arsenic imaginable person the enactment they’re entitled to."