Hundreds of thousands of pensioners will face a stealth raid on their revived winter fuel payments, experts claim.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a humiliating U-turn this week that will see the payment restored to nine million pensioners this winter.
Only those with taxable incomes of more than £35,000 a year will lose out, under the new proposals.
But neither Downing Street nor the Treasury would guarantee yesterday that the new threshold would rise in line with inflation in future years, meaning thousands more pensioners are likely to lose their annual payments as the state pension increases.
The payments are worth £200 a year to most pensioner households or £300 where one person is over 80.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a humiliating U-turn this week that will see the payment restored to nine million pensioners this winter
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) yesterday said cutting the winter fuel allowance last year had been ‘the right thing’ to do as the economy was ‘broken’ when Labour came to office, meaning ‘difficult decisions’ were needed to shore up the public finances
Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb, now a partner at the pension consultants LCP, said: ‘The Government’s own figures clearly suggest they expect the number of losers from the new policy to rise each year.
‘With around two million pensioners currently over the £35,000 threshold, this number could easily rise by another half a million by 2030.’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer yesterday said cutting the winter fuel allowance last year had been ‘the right thing’ to do as the economy was ‘broken’ when Labour came to office, meaning ‘difficult decisions’ were needed to shore up the public finances.
He also claimed that the economy has since ‘stabilised’, allowing the decision to hand back the payments to more pensioners.
Taron Egerton is back on the market! Rocketman star looking for love on celeb dating app Raya after seemingly splitting from Marvel girlfriend
Taron Egerton appeared to have found love at the end of last year with a Marvel star but it appears he is back on the market.
The Rocketman star, 35, has been spotted looking for love on celebrity dating app Raya after relocating to Los Angeles.
Back in December, it was revealed Taron had been secretly dating actress Chloe Bennett for several months with the pair enjoying dates in the UK and US.
But the emergence of his profile on Raya – in pictures seen by MailOnline – suggests the pair have called it quits, just months after making it official.
The Welsh actor’s profile said that he was visiting London but resides in LA, and he tagged the track Lou’s Tune by DARGZ.
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Taron Egerton appeared to have found love at the end of last year with a Marvel star but it seems he is back on the market (Seen on Raya)
The Rocketman star, 35, has been spotted looking for love on celebrity dating app Raya after relocating to Los Angeles (Taron seen in 2022)
MailOnline has approached representatives for Taron for comment.
In December, Taron was seen enjoying a romantic stroll with Chloe in New York City, just days after the pair confirmed their romance.
The pair wrapped up from the winter chill as they took in the sights of the Big Apple.
Taron wore a dark cardigan over a casual black ensemble which he teamed with a pair of comfortable beige high top trainers.
Meanwhile Chloe, who’s best known for her role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, opted for a long brown coat and jeans.
The stunner completed the look with a knitted beanie while styling her long high-lighted tresses in loose waves.
The week before, the couple were spotted for the first time together as they once again strolled though the streets of New York before stopping in a cafe for a kiss.
An insider said last year of his relationship with Chloe: ‘Taron has had a turbulent few years but things are much better with Chloe in the picture.
‘They met in the US and went on a string of dates here before deciding to take a trip to the UK together.
Taron was said to have been secretly dating Chloe Bennett for several months with the pair enjoying dates in the UK and US according to reports
In December, Taron was seen enjoying a romantic stroll with Chloe (Seen in Marvel’s Agents Of SHIELD) in New York City, just days after the pair confirmed their romance
‘He showed her some of his favourite spots and they managed to fly under the radar, which was convenient because they’re both super-private people.
‘They are busy and taking it slowly, but from what they’ve been telling friends, it is going really well.’
The last time Taron reportedly joined celebrity dating app was after his split from is long-term girlfriend Emily Thomas in April 2022.
Following their split, Taron deleted all traces of the assistant director from his Instagram profile at the time.
At the time sources close to the star claimed their relationship became ‘strained’ due to their busy schedules.
An insider told The Sun back in April 2022: ‘Taron and Emily have both been really busy for the past year and it put a lot of pressure on their relationship.
‘They have separated and it hasn’t been easy for either of them. He is taking some time for himself now but he is open to meeting someone else soon.
‘He has been putting himself out there on Raya in the hopes he can ease himself back into dating.’
Emily has worked on blockbuster movies including the likes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wonder Woman and Justice League.
The Welsh star reportedly joined celebrity dating app Raya after his split from is long-term girlfriend Emily Thomas in April 2022 (Seen with Emily in 2020)
He previously split with Emily in 2018 before confirming they had reconciled at the pre-BAFTA Filmmakers Dinner four months later.
In November of that year, the Robin Hood actor dropped the bombshell he had split from Emily after two years together.
Taron insisted he was ‘reinventing’ himself in the wake of the break-up as he shaved his head to play Sir Elton John in the biopic Rocketman.
He claimed shaving his head had a ‘cathartic’ impact to change the way he looked following his split.
He said: ‘I found it quite liberating because I just finished the Elton John thing and had this awful hair. So, I shaved my hair cos they had thinned it right out and given me this bald patch.
‘It was very cathartic and also, not to put a downer on things, I split up with my girlfriend not long ago and it weirdly felt a bit like reinvention… to sort of change the way I look.’
