Angela Rayner piles pressure on Keir Starmer over winter fuel U-turn as she says pensioners should be told within weeks whether they’ll have payments restored – despite PM wanting to wait
Angela Rayner today piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over Labour‘s humiliating U-turn on winter fuel payments.
The Deputy Prime Minister used a TV interview to suggest pensioners should be told within weeks whether and when they would see their payments restored.
She expressed her hope that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will set out the full details of the policy reversal at her spending review on 11 June.
But this put her at odds with Downing Street, with No10 having previously indicated an announcement will not come before Ms Reeves delivers her Budget in the autumn.
Ms Rayner sowed further confusion in a later TV interview when she declined to ‘speculate’ on the timing of an announcement – insisting it was for the Chancellor.
The Prime Minister has pledged to partially undo Labour’s controversial decision to axe winter fuel payments – worth up to £300 – for millions of pensioners.
He told MPs on Wednesday that he wants to ensure ‘more pensioners are eligible’ for the payments ‘as the economy improves’.
But Downing Street failed to offer any further detail on how many more pensioners would be eligible, or even if the unpopular policy would be altered in time for this winter.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over Labour’s humiliating U-turn on winter fuel payments
Ms Rayner expressed her hope that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will set out the full details of the policy reversal at her spending review on 11 June
The PM has pledged to partially undo Labour’s controversial decision to axe winter fuel payments – worth up to £300 – for millions of pensioners
Sir Keir’s partial U-turn came after Labour’s dire local election results at the start of this month, while he also lost the Runcorn and Helsby by-election to Reform UK.
Meanwhile, the PM is under increasing pressure from his own MPs over planned welfare cuts – as well as facing demands to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch this morning repeated her demand for Labour to immediately restore winter fuel payments.
It came amid reports Reform leader Nigel Farage is set to commit to restoring the winter fuel payment to all pensioners, and also scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
Shortly after Labour’s general election win in July, Ms Reeves sparked uproar by announcing the means-testing of winter fuel payments.
Charities reacted with fury at the Chancellor’s decision to restrict payments to only those pensioners in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits.
Despite intense pressure over the policy in the wake of the local election results, No10 had denied there were plans for a U-turn prior to Sir Keir’s comments at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
Asked by Sky News when she personally had found out that the PM was going to ‘scrap’ the policy, Ms Rayner said: ‘The PM didn’t say we’re going to scrap it.
‘What the PM said on Wednesday is when economic conditions allow… Keir Starmer says we want to do something around the eligibility for winter fuel allowance.’
Quizzed on when an announcement might come, Ms Rayner replied: ‘Well, I think that we’ve got the upcoming spending review and I’m sure the Chancellor will set it out when we’ve got the opportunity.
‘At the first opportunity, she will set out what we’ll be able to do.’
Pressed to confirm that full details of Labour’s U-turn on winter fuel payments will come at the spending review on 11 June, the Deputy PM added: ‘I hope so, but I don’t know.
‘But I hope so! I mean, the PM has announced it so logically to me that indicates that the PM wants to do something in this area.
‘If the PM wants to do that, I’m sure the Chancellor is going to look at how we can achieve that.’
She continued: ‘Well, that’s a logical step isn’t it? Otherwise what’s the point in announcing you want to do something on it?
‘And he said at an upcoming fiscal event. So I’m just deducing from that that the possibility is that that’s where it’s going.’
But Ms Rayner later sowed further confusion by refusing to guarantee that changes to winter fuel payments would come in time for this winter.
‘I can’t guarantee that because it has to come through a fiscal event and the Chancellor,’ she told the BBC.
Asked if pensioners would have to wait months before they would find out if they were having their payments restored, she added: ‘I’m not saying for months.
‘I’m saying this is for the Chancellor at a fiscal event for her to make the announcement.
‘If and when the economy allows us to do it, we will look at what we can do around that. That’s what the PM outlined.’
Pressed on whether an announcement would come next month, the Deputy PM replied: ‘I’m not going to speculate when it will be.
‘I’ve made it very clear what the PM says, it will be for the Chancellor to outline it. But he indicated he wanted to see some movement when the economy allows.’
A No10 spokesperson said: ‘We inherited public finances that were in a disastrous state and had to take swift action to stabilise the economy.
‘Because of the decisions we made, we have been able to protect the triple lock, which will benefit over 12 million pensioners by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament and have seen four cuts to interest rates.
‘Our number one mission remains putting more money into people’s pockets through our Plan for Change – and we know that many people are still struggling with the cost of living, including pensioners.
‘As the economy recovers, we want more people to feel the benefits of that in their everyday lives.
‘That’s why we would like to expand the number of pensioners who are eligible for winter fuel payment when possible.’
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Angela Rayner today piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over Labour‘s humiliating U-turn on winter fuel payments.
The Deputy Prime Minister used a TV interview to suggest pensioners should be told within weeks whether and when they would see their payments restored.
She expressed her hope that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will set out the full details of the policy reversal at her spending review on 11 June.
But this put her at odds with Downing Street, with No10 having previously indicated an announcement will not come before Ms Reeves delivers her Budget in the autumn.
Ms Rayner sowed further confusion in a later TV interview when she declined to ‘speculate’ on the timing of an announcement – insisting it was for the Chancellor.
The Prime Minister has pledged to partially undo Labour’s controversial decision to axe winter fuel payments – worth up to £300 – for millions of pensioners.
He told MPs on Wednesday that he wants to ensure ‘more pensioners are eligible’ for the payments ‘as the economy improves’.
But Downing Street failed to offer any further detail on how many more pensioners would be eligible, or even if the unpopular policy would be altered in time for this winter.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over Labour’s humiliating U-turn on winter fuel payments
Ms Rayner expressed her hope that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will set out the full details of the policy reversal at her spending review on 11 June
The PM has pledged to partially undo Labour’s controversial decision to axe winter fuel payments – worth up to £300 – for millions of pensioners
Sir Keir’s partial U-turn came after Labour’s dire local election results at the start of this month, while he also lost the Runcorn and Helsby by-election to Reform UK.
Meanwhile, the PM is under increasing pressure from his own MPs over planned welfare cuts – as well as facing demands to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch this morning repeated her demand for Labour to immediately restore winter fuel payments.
It came amid reports Reform leader Nigel Farage is set to commit to restoring the winter fuel payment to all pensioners, and also scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
Shortly after Labour’s general election win in July, Ms Reeves sparked uproar by announcing the means-testing of winter fuel payments.
Charities reacted with fury at the Chancellor’s decision to restrict payments to only those pensioners in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits.
Despite intense pressure over the policy in the wake of the local election results, No10 had denied there were plans for a U-turn prior to Sir Keir’s comments at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
Asked by Sky News when she personally had found out that the PM was going to ‘scrap’ the policy, Ms Rayner said: ‘The PM didn’t say we’re going to scrap it.
‘What the PM said on Wednesday is when economic conditions allow… Keir Starmer says we want to do something around the eligibility for winter fuel allowance.’
Quizzed on when an announcement might come, Ms Rayner replied: ‘Well, I think that we’ve got the upcoming spending review and I’m sure the Chancellor will set it out when we’ve got the opportunity.
‘At the first opportunity, she will set out what we’ll be able to do.’
Pressed to confirm that full details of Labour’s U-turn on winter fuel payments will come at the spending review on 11 June, the Deputy PM added: ‘I hope so, but I don’t know.
‘But I hope so! I mean, the PM has announced it so logically to me that indicates that the PM wants to do something in this area.
‘If the PM wants to do that, I’m sure the Chancellor is going to look at how we can achieve that.’
She continued: ‘Well, that’s a logical step isn’t it? Otherwise what’s the point in announcing you want to do something on it?
‘And he said at an upcoming fiscal event. So I’m just deducing from that that the possibility is that that’s where it’s going.’
But Ms Rayner later sowed further confusion by refusing to guarantee that changes to winter fuel payments would come in time for this winter.
‘I can’t guarantee that because it has to come through a fiscal event and the Chancellor,’ she told the BBC.
Asked if pensioners would have to wait months before they would find out if they were having their payments restored, she added: ‘I’m not saying for months.
‘I’m saying this is for the Chancellor at a fiscal event for her to make the announcement.
‘If and when the economy allows us to do it, we will look at what we can do around that. That’s what the PM outlined.’
Pressed on whether an announcement would come next month, the Deputy PM replied: ‘I’m not going to speculate when it will be.
‘I’ve made it very clear what the PM says, it will be for the Chancellor to outline it. But he indicated he wanted to see some movement when the economy allows.’
A No10 spokesperson said: ‘We inherited public finances that were in a disastrous state and had to take swift action to stabilise the economy.
‘Because of the decisions we made, we have been able to protect the triple lock, which will benefit over 12 million pensioners by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament and have seen four cuts to interest rates.
‘Our number one mission remains putting more money into people’s pockets through our Plan for Change – and we know that many people are still struggling with the cost of living, including pensioners.
‘As the economy recovers, we want more people to feel the benefits of that in their everyday lives.
‘That’s why we would like to expand the number of pensioners who are eligible for winter fuel payment when possible.’
