'Just F*****g Do It': Keir Starmer Under Pressure To U-Turn On Winter Fuel Policy Straight Away

Keir Starmer has announced a partial climbdown on winter fuel payments.Keir Starmer is under pressure to immediately U-turn on his winter fuel payment policy amid fears the climbdown may not kick in this year.The prime minister confirmed yesterday that he wanted more pensioners to become eligible for the support, which is worth up to £300 a year.He said any final decision would be taken at a “fiscal event”, which has been widely interpreted as meaning the autumn Budget.But that has led to fears that any changes may not kick in in time for next winter.HuffPost UK can now reveal that senior Labour figures are urging Downing Street to implement the changes within weeks.They believe that unless it is done swiftly, Starmer could be left in the worst of all worlds, having announced a climbdown but then delayed implementing it.One source said: “The policy was such a daft bloody thing to do in the first place. Now they have done a U-turn, just get on with it.”Another insider said: “Why are they being dragged to this? Just fucking do it.”Around 10 million pensioners lost out on winter fuel payments last year after Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves decided that it should become a means tested benefit.Only those whose incomes of less than £11,500 remained eligible for it, meaning many relatively poor old people missed out.The policy has proven to be deeply unpopular with voters, and was partly blamed for Labour’s disastrous showing at the local elections in England on May 1.Announcing the change of direction on Wednesday, Starmer said he understood “that people are still feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis, including pensioners”.He added: “As the economy improves, we want to make sure people feel those improvements in their days as their lives go forward. That is why we want to ensure that, as we go forward, more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments.”However, it remains unclear exactly how many pensioners will start receiving their payments again, and when.Commenting on the confusion, one Labour source told HuffPost UK: “I just knew they would fuck this up.”Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has written to the prime minister demanding to know whether the reversal would “come into effect in time for payments to be made for this winter”.She wrote: “Pensioners are typically living on fixed incomes. They need to be able to plan ahead. We have heard from many who have suffered through the past winter as a result of your government’s callous decision to remove their winter fuel payments. Some have had to choose between heating and eating.”However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that increasing the eligibility to the payments without making it a universal benefit again will be difficult.Tom Waters, associate director at the organisation, said: “There are two natural options for assessing winter fuel payment eligibility – giving it to all pensioners, or restricting it to those on a means-tested benefit.“The government’s reform was to go from the former to the latter, using pension credit receipt as the passport to eligibility.“Middle options that significantly increase eligibility are tricky: they come with a significant price tag, or are not well targeted at low income households, or are administratively costly. There is a clear risk to adopting a clunky bureaucratic mechanism for what is, ultimately, a relatively small payment.”Related...Keir Starmer Confirms The Government Will U-Turn On Its Winter Fuel PolicyExclusive: Rachel Reeves Has Been Involved In Talks On Changing Labour's Winter Fuel Payment PolicyDowning Street Rules Out U-Turn On Decision To Axe Winter Fuel Payments For 10 Million Pensioners

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