Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says she can’t fully restore winter fuel payments and has said she cannot promise a full reversal of Labour’s controversial cuts to those payments. Speaking to, Badenoch admitted the Conservatives “could look at changes,” but would not commit to reinstating the benefit in full.
“I can’t just say, ‘Oh, I’ll reverse every single thing they’ve done,’” Badenoch explained. She noted that policy shifts are complex, especially when public finances are uncertain. Her comments come as the winter fuel allowance remains a hot-button issue for millions of pensioners across the UK.
More than 10 million pensioners lost their winter fuel payments last year after Labour restricted eligibility. The benefit, worth up to £300 per household, had previously been paid to all pensioners. The change was made to save £1.4 billion annually.
Labour leader Keir Starmer recently announced a policy U-turn. At Prime Minister’s Questions, he said the government would change the eligibility threshold. However, he did not clarify how many pensioners would benefit or when the new rules would start. He promised more details in the autumn budget.
Badenoch argued the Conservative Party had pressured Starmer into backtracking. She claimed, “We never touched the winter fuel payment” during the Tories’ 14 years in government. However, she refused to pledge full restoration if the Conservatives return to power.
“The whole economy is topsy-turvy,” she said. “We need to look at all of it in the round. But we shouldn’t do this on the backs of vulnerable pensioners.”
Badenoch reiterated her longstanding view that the wealthiest pensioners do not need support. “Millionaires should not get winter fuel,” she said. “So we could look at changes. But we don’t have a system that knows where to begin.”
Badenoch says she can’t fully restore winter fuel payments, even as criticism of Labour’s policy continues to mount. Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party have all demanded full restoration of the allowance.
Within Labour, pressure is building. Wales’s First Minister Eluned Morgan has urged the UK government to reinstate payments for all but the richest. Some Labour MPs blame the policy for recent local election losses.
At her first Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch focused on inflation rather than winter fuel. She later defended her approach. “I’m doing my job the way I think it should be done. And we’re getting Labour to U-turn,” she said.
As the autumn budget nears, Badenoch says she can’t fully restore winter fuel payments, but growing cross-party pressure could force all leaders to reconsider.
For more political updates, visit London Pulse News.
