Scottish Parliament backs reversal of UK winter fuel payment cut

The Scottish Parliament has called on the UK Government to U-turn on its decision to limit the number of pensioners who will receive winter heating payments.

MSPs voted in favour of a Scottish Government motion, laid by First Minister John Swinney, stating the “UK Government must reverse the introduction of means testing for the winter fuel payment”.

Two Labour MSPs rebelled against their whip to back the motion - former leader Richard Leonard and Fife MSP Alex Rowley.

A total of 99 MSPs backed the motion, while 14 - all Labour - opposed it. There are 22 Labour MSPs, meaning six did not vote.

During the debate, Swinney warned that 900,000 pensioners in Scotland would no longer be entitled to support with heating costs this winter.

He argued it was a “mistake” to view social security as “costs to be curtailed” rather than “investments in our people” which would create a more prosperous country in the long run.

Swinney said: “Today, I call on all members of parliament to unite in a clear statement to the United Kingdom Government that the decision to end universal eligibility for winter fuel payments should be reversed and the resources should be available to this parliament to ensure this vital support is available to all of those who are currently eligible in Scotland.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced winter fuel payments would only be available for pensioners in receipt of pension credit, blaming a £22bn blackhole left by the previous Conservative government.

Scottish ministers, while critical of the decision, said they had no choice but to mirror the decision for their own devolved version of the benefit, the pension age winter heating payment.

The debate in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday was taking place to mark Challenge Poverty Week, though the government’s motion focused solely on the winter fuel payment.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said it was “not credible” to argue poverty was caused by a single decision, and he went on to criticise Scottish ministers for not doing enough to tackle poverty.

He said there was “so much more they could be doing with their powers to tackle the root causes of poverty right now”, including on housing, education and the NHS.

And he said that while Labour “did not want to make” the decision to cut the benefit, it had been forced to due to the “chaos and damage inherited from the Tories”. He confirmed he had been lobbying for wider eligibility for the payment, adding pension credit was “too tight” a criteria.

Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said that while the UK government’s decision on the benefit was “shocking”, the Scottish Government had failed to shift the dial on tackling poverty more generally.

He criticised the current social security system for focusing on “a handout, and not a hand up”. He added: “Our benefits system must also be fair to the hard working taxpayers who fund it. It must be designed to lift people out of poverty, not to trap people in it.

“A life stuck on benefits, with no opportunity for advancement and n help to improve your lot and get ahead, is no life at all.”

His amendment, which criticised both governments for their decisions on winter payments, was defeated by 86 votes to 26.