Scottish Labour MPs were “upset” about being kept in the dark over Anas Sarwar’s decision to bring back a universal Winter Fuel Payment if he wins the next Holyrood election. The Record revealed a fortnight ago that Scottish Labour leader Sarwar planned to reverse a cut made by his own party’s government.
Scottish Labour’s shadow finance secretary Michael Marra addressed the Scottish Parliamentary Labour Party group that evening. In the meeting some MPs said they were unhappy they were not told about the decision before it appeared in the media. A source said: “Some MPs said they were upset to find out about it in the manner that they did.”
The UK Labour Government decided to target the benefit just weeks after coming to power in the summer. Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to means-test the payment worth up to £300 would have seen around 900,000 Scots lose out. The decision was branded heartless by critics given that energy bills are rising and voters are braced for a bitter winter.
The SNP has since announced it will partly reinstate the benefit next year. The decision to means-test the benefit has hit Scottish Labour’s poll rating and insiders are worried it could keep the Nationalists in power.
Sarwar told the Record when he made the announcement: “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.”
The Record revealed last week that the SNP will partly reinstate the benefit next year, giving all pensioners between £100 and £300. SNP Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The full details of our proposed approach will be set out in the Scottish Government’s 25-26 Budget.
“However, I can announce that pensioners in Scotland in receipt of a relevant qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit, and who will this winter receive payments of £200 or £300 this winter, dependent on their age, will continue to receive those payments automatically next winter. And additionally, we will introduce universal payments to every other pensioner household of £100.
“This ensures that those pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits will receive a higher rate amount of support, protecting their incomes, whilst also ensuring the provision of support to all pensioner households, support that will not be available anywhere else in the UK.”
A Scottish Labour spokesperson said “Scottish Labour is committed to using the powers of the Scottish Parliament to reinstate Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners and deliver a fairer system that works for Scotland.
“Scottish Labour’s MPs helped to deliver the transformational UK Labour budget which ended Tory austerity and secured record of levels of funding for Scotland, meaning we now have the money and the powers to make this change.”
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