Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has acknowledged the need for clarity on changes to the Winter Fuel Payment, following Labour's decision to means-test the up to £300 in energy bill support.
Last year, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the allowance's eligibility will be linked to Pension Credit, a benefit payment reserved for pensioners on low incomes.
This move has received widespread backlash from the public, charities and MPs within the Labour Party amid growing cost of living concerns.
Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, the Prime Minister claimed "the sooner" his Government provides details "the better".
Starmer has hinted a U-turn on the Winter Fuel Payment decision is on the cards
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Earlier this morning, Starmer reiterated that ministers were reviewing which pensioners should receive the benefit payment.
However, he added that he wanted to be "absolutely clear where the money is coming from" before setting out the specifics of the revised scheme.
The Prime Minister's comments ahead of the looming Government spending review, which will be unveiled by Reeves on June 11.
After coming to power in July last year, the Labour government announced it was withdrawing the annual payment from more than 10 million pensioners.
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The Winter Fuel Payment, worth up to £300, had previously been available to a much broader group of elderly recipients.
Ministers are now conducting a comprehensive review to determine which pensioners should continue to receive the payment under the revised arrangements.
Research from the Centre for Ageing Better found that 2.5 million pensioners, living on low incomes below the level needed for a dignified life, were stripped of their Winter Fuel Payments last year
The organisation is urging the Government to ensure that these pensioners in greatest need become eligible for WinterFuel Payments in the future as part of plans to increase eligibility for support.
Dr Carole Easton OBE, the chief executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: "The Centre for Ageing Better welcomes the Prime Minister’s decision to look again at the restrictive eligibility imposed by his government on the WinterFuel Payments scheme.
"We hope that it will lead to more pensioners receiving support this winter to keep their homes warm in order to protect their health.
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Rachel Reeves has came under fire over her decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments Getty"Our own research has shown that more than 2.5 million pensioners, living on incomes insufficient to support a dignified standard of living, were stripped of their Winter Fuel Payments by government changes brought in last year.
"In the short-term, the Government should look to widen the eligibility criteria for WinterFuel Payments to include more pensioners on low incomes.
"But in the longer-term, we also need to see more action from government to tackle the underlying fundamentals to this issue, that we have some of the highest energy bills and least energy efficient homes in Europe.
“We need the government’s upcoming Housing Strategy to have clear guidance on tackling poor-quality homes in this country, and in particular how to fix cold and dangerous homes across all tenures."
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