Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has defended Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ original decision to cut winter fuel payments and the subsequent partial U-turn. He told the BBC the chancellor would not apologise for withdrawing the payment from more than 10 million pensioners last year, arguing that she had to take measures to stabilise the economy. He said...
Charlotte Edwards Business reporter Getty Images More than three-quarters of pensioners will receive the winter fuel payment this year after a major policy U-turn. The decision from Chancellor Rachel Reeves means nine million pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income of £35,000 or less will now be eligible. People have spoken to us...
Ben Chu Policy and analysis correspondent, BBC Verify Getty Images The government’s decision to largely reverse its cuts to winter fuel payments has raised questions about its spending and savings plans – and its fiscal rules. BBC Verify has been looking at the the key numbers. What has changed on winter fuel? At the time...
The final act in this slow motion U-turn has played out. The arc of this row runs to almost a year. It was late July last year when I was among a bunch of reporters called into the Treasury to question the then new chancellor about her out-of-the-blue policy to take the Winter Fuel Payment...
The front page of the Times reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to set out a “winter fuel U-turn” in her spending review on 11 June. It says the payment will be restored and then clawed back “from millions of better-off pensioners through higher tax bills”. The paper also features an image of Queen...
Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent Getty Images Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed that more people will get the next winter fuel payment after a widely-expected u-turn over eligibility. The government was criticised for its 2024 decision to limit the payment to those receiving pension credit or another means-tested benefit, which meant millions of older...
Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent, BBC News Getty Images The government’s partial U-turn on winter fuel payments will be in place so more people receive the allowance this winter, the chancellor has said. Rachel Reeves cleared some uncertainty by announcing that “more people will get winter fuel payment this winter”. However, details of how...
Joshua Nevett Political reporter PA Media Millionaires should not be getting winter fuel payments, a senior minister has said, as the government considers how to ease cuts to the allowance for pensioners. Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, said the payments would be “targeted to those that need it the most”. It comes after...
Becky Morton Political reporter PMQs: Badenoch presses PM on winter fuel payment Sir Keir Starmer has defended the decision to axe winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners, as calls for a reversal of the policy continue. A group of around 45 Labour MPs representing seats in northern England and the Midlands have joined those...
Several newspapers lead with stories on a new trade deal worth £5bn between India and the UK. Quoting both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, the Telegraph’s report describes the agreement as implementing a ‘two-tier’ tax deal – because it exempts Indian migrants from National Insurance payments. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said she had declined to...
Paul Seddon Political reporter Getty Images Restricting winter fuel payments dented Labour’s support at last week’s local elections, the health secretary has acknowledged. Wes Streeting told the BBC many voters “aren’t happy” with the move, adding it had “come up on the doorstep” during campaigning. But he insisted the move would help the government invest...
Emily Johnson BBC News, Yorkshire Reporting fromScarborough BBC/ Emily Johnson Driving instructor Nigel Brown wants fuel prices in Scarborough to be brought in line with those in Whitby and Bridlington Fuel prices can be affected by a variety of factors from global conflicts to the cost of a barrel of crude oil, but in parts...
“I ran away – I went to the bus to say goodbye, and I didn’t even shake one hand,” Mourinho says. “I wanted to escape. I think if I get on to the bus, if I go back with them to Milan, if I walk into a full San Siro, if I walk into the...
The US military says it has destroyed a fuel terminal in Yemen during its latest strikes against the Houthis. It says the aim of the attack on the Red Sea port of Ras Isa was to restrict supplies and funds for the Iranian-backed movement. According to the Houthis, at least 33 people were killed during...
Matt McGrath and Mark Poynting BBC Climate & Science Alamy The UK government is investigating a fast-growing “green fuel” called HVO diesel amid claims of significant fraud, the BBC has learned. HVO is increasingly popular as a transport fuel and for powering music festivals and its backers say it can curb carbon emissions by up...