UK politics live: Winter fuel U-turn branded a ‘joke’ with Starmer urged to reverse cuts before winter

Fresh changes to the government’s winter fuel cut are not expected to be put in place until Autumn at the earliest, Downing Street indicated on Wednesday.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said they will unveil the detail of the changes at the “next fiscal event”. Given he also ruled out an emergency budget, this means it will take place at the Budget in October.

However, questions remain over whether or not this will mean the changes will be in place for the coming winter.

Pressed on whether more pensioners can expect to receive the payments this winter, the PM’s official spokesperson would not be drawn on exact timings.

Net migration is expected to fall by over 250,000, according to think tank British Future. New statistics on the flow of people into the UK are expected from the ONS tomorrow and researchers predict a downward trend. In the year ending June 2024, net migration to the UK was 728,000.

Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, said: “Falling net migration is one of Britain’s best-kept secrets. The ONS figures will show a dramatic fall, probably by over a quarter of a million, but that will come as a complete surprise to 90% of the public. Immigration remains high but is much lower than the previous peaks. It will likely fall further.”

Israel must hold an investigation after British diplomats were caught up in shooting by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, a Foreign Office minister has said.

A group of western diplomats faced warning shots from the Israel Defence Forces while visiting the city of Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

Two British diplomats understood to be among the group of around 20 people have been confirmed as safe.

Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer described the events in Jenin as “unacceptable”.

He added: “I have spoken to our diplomats who were affected. Civilians must always be protected, and diplomats allowed to do their jobs. There must be a full investigation and those responsible should be held accountable.”

Sir Keir told the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions: “I recognise that people are still feeling the pressure of the cost of living crisis, including pensioners.

“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.”

Northern Ireland’s Communities Minister has called for the full reinstatement of the winter fuel payment.

Around 250,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland were affected by the decision to means-test the previously universal payment.

The cut was cushioned in the region with a £100 fuel support payment provided to pensioners by Gordon Lyons’ department.

He said he welcomed Sir Keir’s statement but added that it did not go far enough.

“My opposition to restricting eligibility for the winter fuel payment has been absolute and I am glad that the Labour Government has now recognised that error,” he said.

“This mistake can only be fully rectified by the reinstatement of a universal winter fuel payment that protects all pensioners.”

No U-turn can change the fact the UK Government removed the winter fuel payment from pensioners, John Swinney has said.

Speaking to the PA news agency during a visit to Glasgow Airport, First Minister Mr Swinney said regardless of the extension of the payment, it was still removed from most pensioners last winter, while his Government committed to offering a scaled back version of the payment in the upcoming winter.

“I think people were dumbfounded that the first actions of the new Labour Government was to take away winter fuel payments from pensioners,” he said.

“Now the SNP Government has intervened and we’ve restored those payments to pensioners in Scotland and that was the right thing for us to do.

“But it was the wrong thing for the Labour Government to do to take away those payments.”

The First Minister, however, refused to commit to passing on all increases in funding from the UK to the Scottish equivalent.

Sir Keir Starmer wants to widen eligibility for winter fuel payment after he restricted the number of pensioners who could claim it last year.

There are several options for how the Government could go about it.

One option would be a full reversal of the decision to strip the benefit from millions of pensioners.

The decision to make it available only to those who claim pension credit last year meant those claiming winter fuel payment fell by almost 90% and saved around £1.5 billion a year, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates.

Undoing last year’s policy change would make some 11 million more households eligible and of course wipe out the £1.5 billion in savings.

Restoring the universal winter fuel payment would be the simplest way to help more pensioners, a Labour backbencher has said.

Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, told the BBC’s PM programme he favoured returning to a universal payment, adding: “It is clean, it is simple, and it is not going to involve people in making applications, and in tax returns, and all manner of complications that are going to cause more difficulties.

“Let’s make this clean and quick.”

Asked if he also favoured scrapping the two-child benefit cap, Mr McDonald told the BBC: “I think it is one of several decisions that need to be revisited. We know that by lifting that two-child cap there will be an immediate beneficial impact of taking children out of poverty.

“That is our purpose. That is why we exist is to help people get out of poverty.”