The Daily Record reports that party insiders in Scotland are concerned the backlash to the controversial winter fuel cut could hinder Labour’s chances of toppling the SNP.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has promised to restore universal winter fuel payments in Scotland, in what marks a break with Keir Starmer’s government policy.
The leader of Scottish Labour announced his intention to bring back the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland, should they win the next Holyrood election. Under the proposals being put forward, all pensioners would receive a payment via a devolved benefit, though it would be tapered so that the wealthiest households received less.
Labour has defended its decision to restrict the winter fuel payment to those in receipt of Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits, saying it had to make difficult choices after the Tories left a £22bn financial black hole.
The Daily Record reports that party insiders in Scotland are concerned the backlash to the controversial winter fuel cut could hinder Labour’s chances of toppling the SNP.
Sarwar told the Record: “A Scottish Labour government will reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners in Scotland. The Winter Fuel Payment was supposed to be a devolved benefit this year and there were additional resources available to the Scottish Government through the Household Support Fund.
“That meant we could have taken a different approach in Scotland to support more households this year – instead, the SNP decided to hand the power back to the DWP. For months I have said that the eligibility criterion of pension credit is too low and called for a Scottish solution to this issue.
“That’s why Scottish Labour will take back this devolved power from the DWP, reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment, and deliver a fairer system to ensure that everyone who needs support gets it. A UK Labour government is clearing up the mess left by a chaotic Tory government – here in Scotland, people are demanding a new direction and in 2026 we have the opportunity to deliver it with a Scottish Labour government.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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