4,000 pensioners could DIE if Winter Fuel Payment means-tested, Labour report claims
A previously commissioned Labour report suggests thousands could die if the Winter Fuel Payment is means-tested
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Some 4,000 pensioners across the country could die if the Winter Fuel Payment is effectively scrapped, according to a report commissioned by the Labour Party years ago.
Research conducted by the Resolution Foundation in 2017 found that means-testing the allowance for older households on benefits could be deadly.
In July, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed pensioners would now need to claim Pension Credit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to be eligible.
The proposal to means-test Winter Fuel Payments, which offer up to £300 in energy bill support, is set to be debated in Parliament tomorrow (September 10).
It is estimated that 10 million pensioners will lose access to the benefit however the Government us urging low-income households to apply for Pension Credit.
This report from Foundation was commissioned while Prime Mininster Keir Starmer was part of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet.
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Pensioners face 'widespread suffering' this winter as energy bill support axed
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Based on the think tank's findings, the lives of 3,850 pensioners are potentially at risk if the Winter Fuel Allowance is reserved for DWP claimants.
The reason the report was initially commissioned is due to the fact former Prime Minister Theresa May floated means-testing the benefit during her premiership.
She claimed that money saved from this policy could potentially be used to fund the UK's faltering social care system.
At the time, Labour's then-Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell claimed means-testing the energy bill benefit would leave "the most vulnerable at even more risk".
In the Conservative Party's 2017 General Election manifesto, there was no indicator at what level the Winter Fuel payment would be means-tested.
Notably, the Resolution Foundation suggested that reserving the allowance for Pension Credit claimants would be ideal.
Labour has claimed it is being forced to make "unpopular" fiscal decision in order to fill the £22billion black hole in the UK's economy.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by stating the importance of fixing the foundations of our economy in order to carry out the Government’s mandate for change.
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The cost of living crisis has pushed energy bills to new heights in recent years GETTY “He said that, given the scale of inheritance, this would be difficult and that tough decisions are unpopular decisions, but it is the tough decisions that will enable change for this country.”
On the support available to pensioners, a Government spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners through the triple lock, which means that over 12 million pensioners will see their state pensions increase by almost £1,000 over the next five years.
“Given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, it’s right that we target support to those who need it most.
"Over one million pensioners will continue to receive the winter fuel payment, while many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount from October.”