The government made the highly controversial cut to the winter fuel payment to fill a £22bn fiscal hole.
Applications for pension credit hit nearly 75,000 in the eight weeks since the new chancellor announced the winter fuel payment for pensioners would be means-tested for the first time. Figures released on Friday by the Department for Work and Pensions figures showed there were around 74,400 pension credit claims in the eight weeks since 29 July. This is up from 29,500 claims in the eight weeks before the announcement.
It is the wrong decision and needs to be reversed.' But Ms Kendall defended the much-criticised cut to the benefit, claiming 'this Labour government has done more to help the poorest pensioners in the last two months than the Tories did in 14 years'. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has also held firm, insisting at the party conference that the policy would not be changed.
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