Kemi Badenoch has written to the Prime Minister seeking “urgent clarity” following an apparent u-turn on the Winter Fuel Payment.
Today at Prime Minister’s Questions, the PM appeared to U-turn on his cut to the payment, saying: “we want to ensure more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments”.
In the letter published this evening, the Tory leader described the government’s initial plans to means test the payment as a “cruel” and “callous” decision and has demanded that the Prime Minister clarifies whether “changes to the Winter Fuel Payment scheme come into effect in time for payments to be made this winter.”
The letter also asks the Government to clarify “how many more pensioners” will “become eligible [for winter fuel payments] once changes are made?”.
Recent data shows that over three quarters of a million pensioners missed out on their winter fuel payments last winter, despite being eligible for support.
In August, the government estimated there were 880,000 pensioners eligible for, but not receiving, pension credit. Between 29 July and 23 February 2025, just 117,800 pension credit claims were awarded – meaning more than three quarters of a million pensioners were eligible for pension credit and therefore the winter fuel payment, but did not receive it this winter.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman declined to confirm if the changes will be in place by the coming winter but stated: “We obviously want to deliver this as quickly as possible.
“We will only make decisions when we can say where the money is coming from, how we’re going to pay for it and that it’s affordable.”
Badenoch’s letter to the PM is not the first time she has spoken on the controversial policy. Since the announcement of the means testing of winter fuel payments in July last year, the Conservative Party leader has brought the issue up consistently at Prime Ministers’ Questions yet Sir Keir Starmer had kept the same line until now.
During the recent council and mayoral elections, it was widely reported that the means testing of the winter fuel payments was an issue consistently brought up on the doorstep and contributed to Labour losing 187 council seats.
Speculation on the future of the winter fuel cut has followed Labour’s local election drubbing, in which the policy is thought to have been a key factor.
Featured image via Edward Massey / CCHQ.
