POLL OF THE DAY: Would reversing the Winter Fuel Payment prove too little, too late for this Government? VOTE NOW
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Would reversing the Winter Fuel Payment prove too little, too late for this Government? Have your say in the comments below
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Labour is reportedly planning to reverse its controversial Winter Fuel Payment cuts as early as next month.
And as a bonus, Sir Keir Starmer's Government is considering increasing the £11,500 income threshold to make more pensioners eligible for the benefit, which was means-tested last July by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Currently, to qualify for Winter Fuel Payments, individuals must have been born before September 23, 1958, and be claiming specific benefits such as Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, or Pension Credit.
The decision to means-test the benefit has faced significant backlash, with some Labour MPs describing it as "kryptonite".
Age UK and Unite, one of Labour's most powerful union backers, have also voiced strong opposition to the cuts.
A Downing Street spokesman defended the original decision, stating: "We had to take tough but right decisions in the budget to stabilise the economy after years of damage and decline."
Sir Keir Starmer himself has maintained that the cuts were necessary, saying: "Look, we took difficult decisions, but the right decisions, at the Budget, including the decision that we took on Winter Fuel Payments."
The Prime Minister added that these decisions were made "specifically with the purpose of stabilising the economy", pointing to interest rate cuts and growth figures of 0.7 per cent as evidence of their effectiveness.
With that being said, would reversing the Winter Fuel Payment prove too little, too late for this Government? Vote now in the poll below and have your say in the comments.