Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that the government “listened to people ‘concerns” because she confirmed a turn of turn on winter fuel payments.
Nine million retirees in England and Wales with an annual income of up to £ 35,000 will now receive payment this year.
Vait up to £ 300 to help with energy bills during the coldest months, it was only paid to those who were on retirement credit last year, which means millions that had previously received it when it was lost.
Politics was largely blamed for the poor results of local Labor Party elections and its almost complete reversal becomes an examination of government spending on Wednesday.
Confirmation of the new policy means that three -quarters of state retirement people will now qualify for the allowance.
“It will always be tested as a medium but at a higher level,” said Reeves to broadcasters on Wednesday.
“Due to the changes we have made and the stability we have brought back to the economy, we are able to increase this amount.”
The government said that the increase in the threshold for those who have eligible for winter fuel paids “only” retired at medium or average income will not miss “.
Households eligible with a person under the age of 80 automatically receive £ 200 per year in November or December, while houses with a person over 80 years old receive £ 300.
The payments are divided by two if a household has two retirees living together. If one of them earns more than £ 35,000 and the other earns less than £ 35,000, the higher income retiree will not receive any payment and the lower income retiree will receive half of the payment.
Retirees superior to the annual income threshold of £ 35,000, which, according to the Treasury, was “largely in accordance with average profits”, will have automatically recovered the payment or may withdraw. This will apply to around two million people.
The turnover policy, which will see the overwhelming majority of those who missed payments last winter, will now cost 1.25 billion pounds sterling to taxpayers per year.
Last year, the original cup of universal payments in winter fuel saved 1.7 billion pounds sterling.
Concerns had been raised among charitable organizations and certain deputies on the previous policy of the government aimed at stopping payments for some nine million people, in particular around those whose income was slightly too high to be eligible, but were affected by the loss of payment as the energy costs remained expensive.
The government has said that its new means testing requirements would now save around 450 million pounds Sterling.
Reeves said it was right that the government continued to test winter fuel payments, which is “targeted and fair, rather than restoring the admissibility to all, including the richest”.
“But we have now acted to broaden the eligibility for winter fuel payment, so no retiree on a lower income will miss,” she added.
The Chancellor said that she would explain how the policy of 1.25 billion pounds sterling would be paid in the fall budget, but added “no one should be in any doubt” on her commitment to stick to her self-imposed borrowing rules.
However, conservative chief Kemi Badenoch said: “This humiliating tour will be refined for forced retirees to choose between heating and eating last winter.
“Keir Starmer rushed to clarify his own disorder,” she added. “The Prime Minister should now apologize for his terrible judgment.”
The government said that no one needs to register with the HMRC or take other measures to receive payments, and retirees who wish to withdraw can do so via a system of system to develop.
In Scotland, ministers have already described a different policy. Those who receive eligible services such as retirement credit would receive payment as before, while others would obtain £ 100.
Funds – which are limited to payment by household – will be paid through a new service from the Scottish Parliament, which will not be ready until the end of 2025.
Confirmation that more people will receive winter fuel payments this winter takes place before examining the government’s expenses, which will be announced on Wednesday.
The examination will describe the daily ministerial budgets over the next three years and investment budgets over the next four.
Whitehall’s initiates told the BBC that they expected to be “ugly”.
The position of reeves on the elimination of loans for daily expenses and not to increase taxes has again fueled high speculation according to which spending reductions will be made.
