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THE INSTITUTE FOR FISCAL STUDIES HAS EXPLORED HOW THE LABOUR PARTY GOVERNMENT U-TURN COULD WORK. 12:08, 03 Jun 2025 The Winter Fuel Payment could be reintroduced for ALL state pensioners on
a "universal" basis - boosting eligibility by 10.5 million people. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has explored how the Labour Party government u-turn could work. It states:
"Return to universality. A simple option would be to just undo last summer’s policy and return to giving WFP to all pensioners. This would cost around £1.5 billion per year, increasing
eligibility by about 10½ million pensioners." Senior Labour ministers warned No 10 privately that the policy was an electoral disaster. “It comes up on the doorstep all the time. Winter
fuel will lose us the next election, it was a terrible mistake. But it’s probably too late for a U-turn now,” one cabinet minister lamented. READ MORE UK FACES 'SPANISH SCORCHER'
HEATWAVE WITH 31C AS EXACT DATE IT STARTS ANNOUNCED A group of MPs from “red wall” constituencies issued a joint statement. “Responding to the issues raised by our constituents, including on
winter fuel, isn’t weak – it takes us to a position of strength,” it said. Article continues below Sir Keir Starmer did not deny that he was reconsidering the policy this week. Speaking
while on a trip to Albania, Starmer said: “We took difficult decisions, but the right decisions, at the budget, including the decision that we took on winter fuel.” “We are now seeing the
benefits of that in the interest rate cuts and the growth figures. They were difficult decisions but the right decisions.” Simon Francis, the coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition,
said that “any U-turn is welcome, but what matters now is the detail, especially if winter fuel payments are not restored to all pensioners. Article continues below “We need to see the
pension credit threshold raised significantly, a taper system introduced to stop people missing out on winter fuel payments for being just £1 over the line, and wider targeting of this
support, including for those on non-means-tested disability benefits or carer’s allowance. "Above all, ministers must learn lessons from this scandalous decision.”