The chief secretary to the Treasury wrote to the last government arguing for a policy his boss, Rachel Reeves, has just scrapped.
The chancellor announced a range of spending cuts on Monday to plug the ”£22bn black hole” Reeves claims the Tories left behind in government.
Labour will now be restricting the winter fuel payments to people just on pension credits or other means-tested benefits from this year onwards.
Previously, all pensioners were entitled to the lump sum, worth between £100 and £300.
This move was pretty unexpected from the Labour government – it means around 10 million pensioners and seven million pensioner households will now lose their payments.
And only last year, the party called on the-then Tory government to keep the policy for every pensioner.
In November, then-shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, posted on X: “The Paymaster General has suggested stripping some older people of the Winter Fuel Payment.
“I’ve written to the Chancellor asking him to clarify whether he is considering this for the Autumn Statement.
“Pensioners mustn’t be forced to bear the brunt of Tory economic failure.”
Jones attached a letter to the-then chancellor Jeremy Hunt asking for clarity around whether such a policy could be implemented.
He added that “pensioners will be deeply concerned” over the speculation, having already to contend with the “dramatic increases to the cost of living”.
The Paymaster General has suggested stripping some older people of the Winter Fuel Payment.
— Darren Jones MP (@darrenpjones) November 20, 2023
I’ve written to the Chancellor asking him to clarify whether he is considering this for the Autumn Statement.
Pensioners mustn’t be forced to bear the brunt of Tory economic failure. pic.twitter.com/Yn5eRE7XsV
Reeves herself also stood by the policy back in 2017, promising to it was Labour who would “defend” winter fuel payments at the time.
This week, Reeves has made it clear “this is not a decision I expected to make”.
Pressed over Jones’ social media post on LBC, the chancellor said she was in an “extraordinary position where we had to close a £22bn gap this year in our public finances”.
She said: “Yesterday, I had to make changes across the board – transport projects, new hospital building programme, an investment fund, as well as the difficult decision to restrict the winter fuel payment to pensioners who receive pension credit.
“It’s not a decision I wanted to make, it’s not a decision I expected to make, but we had to close that gap.”
The Conservatives have leapt at the chance to take aim at Labour over the U-turn.
Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said: “During the election, Labour sources said the winter fuel payments would continue under a Starmer government and that there were no plans to change eligibility for these benefits.
“Today they have revealed they misled the public.
“Instead of giving winter fuel payments to pensioners, they have chosen to bend to the pressure from the unions by giving a 22% pay rise to junior doctors and reversing the Conservative government’s planned reduction to the civil service.”
