Overview

• Chief Secretary Darren Jones confirmed that pensioners with assets over £1 million will remain ineligible for the £300 winter fuel payment
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer signalled that improving economic conditions could allow a reversal of last year’s means-testing policy
• Pension Credit applications surged by 57 per cent after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the planned changes, with over 162,000 new claims
• The Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested the government could scrap the payment entirely or adjust eligibility through new means-tests or council tax band criteria
• Campaigners highlight that more than nine million pensioners missed out on the payment last winter, warning of increased hardship among older households