Labour’s pensions minister faced an angry backlash last night after he claimed that scrapping the winter fuel allowance last year had ‘no effect’ on the health of older people.
In an incendiary intervention as the Government U-turned on the payments, Torsten Bell dismissed warnings from campaigners that removing it from ten million older people had risked a spike in cold-related illnesses and deaths.
Mr Bell told MPs that among those who had been hit by the cuts imposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves last winter, ‘we see no differential effects on their health’.
But his comments triggered an angry response from campaigners and threatened to overshadow efforts by ministers to undo the political damage caused last year by the decision to means-test the winter fuel payment – one of Ms Reeves’s first acts in Government.
Dennis Reed, of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, said: ‘It is a ridiculous thing to say.
‘We know from our own members that a lot of people have been shivering in their homes with their overcoats on last winter because they were too afraid to put the heating on.
‘Many conditions, such as arthritis and respiratory conditions, are made worse by the cold – how can he possibly claim it’s had no effect?’
Ms Reeves yesterday confirmed a Government U-turn on the issue, and that ‘more people will get winter fuel allowance this winter’ – but she was unable to say who will qualify.
In an incendiary intervention as the Government U-turned on the payments, Torsten Bell (pictured) dismissed warnings from campaigners that removing it from ten million older people had risked a spike in cold-related illnesses and deaths
Pensioners hold placards during a protest against expected British government cuts to the winter fuel allowance benefit, outside of the Houses of Parliament, London, Britain, October 7, 2024
Dennis Reed, of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, (pictured) said:‘We know from our own members that a lot of people have been shivering in their homes with their overcoats on last winter because they were too afraid to put the heating on’
She also said the Government will not set out until the autumn how the reinstated payments will be funded.
Last night the End Fuel Poverty Coalition wrote to the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for National Statistics demanding evidence for Mr Bell’s claim.
Group co-ordinator Simon Francis said: ‘One of the things we often talk about in relation to fuel poverty is just how hidden it can be, especially among pensioners, who are often reluctant to come forward and admit they’re struggling, even to their own relatives.
‘You can easily imagine a situation where a pensioner puts the heating on when family visits, just to make it appear as though everything is fine, when in fact it’s not. We’re particularly concerned about the health impacts of this.’
Mr Francis added that official figures pointed to a 3.3 per cent increase in the usual number of deaths among over-75s last winter.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary, accused Mr Bell of ‘desperate spin’ and that there was no basis for his claim.
He added: ‘What we do know is that being cold makes many health conditions worse. We also know that millions of older people had less money to pay their gas bill. If Labour really think it had no effect, why are they bringing it back?’
In opposition, Labour claimed that means-testing the winter fuel allowance would cause almost 4,000 extra deaths each winter.
Conservative MP Mel Stride holds up a petition, alongside other Conservative MPs, calling for the Government to stop the planned cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment, on College Green in Westminster, London
Pensioner groups attend the protest called by the UNITE union opposite the Houses of Parliament on October 7, 2024 in London, England
In opposition, Labour claimed that means-testing the winter fuel allowance would cause almost 4,000 extra deaths each winter
The finding was based on research by the Left-wing think-tank the Resolution Foundation, which at the time was run by Mr Bell.
But yesterday he told MPs the evidence suggested that last winter there had been ‘fewer deaths than normal’.
The Government’s handling of the issue dominated Prime Minister’s Questions, with Kemi Badenoch accusing Sir Keir Starmer of presiding over ‘chaos’. She added: ‘All we see is U-turn after U-turn – his head must be spinning.’
