Keir Starmer confirms U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts
Guardian1 day
UK: Starmer to Increase Winter Fuel Payment Eligibility
Above: U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons on May 21, 2025, in London, England. Image copyright: Carl Court/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Starmer is right to expand eligibility for the winter fuel allowance with more pensioners, not fewer, needing support. But this welcome U-turn must go further. Details must be released fast, so vulnerable pensioners get the help they need before winter sets in, while Labour should urgently rethink its planned disability benefit cuts and child poverty policies.
Right narrative
Starmer’s embarrassing reversal of his winter fuel allowance policy is long overdue. But let’s be clear: his desperate attempt to claw back support after disastrous polling is a mess of his own making, and if Angela's Rayner's leaked memo is anything to go by, the British will have to put up with even more tax rises for Labour to dig themselves out of this mess.