Rachel Reeves under fire as top union boss makes winter fuel demand

By Katie Harris, Senior Political Correspondent

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham (Image: Getty)

Labour's biggest union backer has demanded that the winter fuel allowance is reinstated to all pensioners. Unite urged the Government to "stop digging" and announce that the payments will be restored in full.

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer confirmed there would be a partial U-turn on the deeply unpopular policy, which saw the previously universal allowance restricted to only the poorest OAPS. Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Most people now recognise that the winter fuel cut was a massive mistake.

“Unite has been calling on the government to scrap the cut from day one and I was pleased when the PM finally acknowledged this.

“This Government needs to learn that when you are in a hole, you should stop digging. You can’t leave pensioners in limbo while you work out plans for taxing the families of the deceased - just reverse it now.

“We are the sixth richest economy in the world, and we need to stop picking the pockets of pensioners and bring in a wealth tax.”

The Prime Minister used PMQs last week to signal that winter fuel payments would be returned to some older people who were stripped of them.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves yesterday confirmed that "more people will get winter fuel payment this winter", adding that further details will be announced "as soon as we possibly can".

She said: "People should be in no doubt that the means test will increase and more people will get winter fuel payment this winter."

It has been reported that the Government is looking at restoring the payments as a universal benefit and then recouping the money when high-income pensioners fill in their tax return.

Labour has faced an ongoing backlash for the winter fuel axe, which ministers blamed on the state of the public finances left by the Tories.