No 10 actively investigating wintry weather gas cost adjustments as fears develop over voter anger

Downing Street is actively investigating adjustments to the debatable wintry weather gas cost reduce over rising issues concerning the coverage’s deep unpopularity amongst citizens.

No 10 has stepped up its paintings on reviewing the coverage via sporting out interior polling and focal point teams on how citizens would reply to doable changes to it.

The Guardian first printed two weeks in the past that Downing Street used to be rethinking the debatable reduce and taking into consideration whether or not to extend the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are now not eligible for the allowance.

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, axed the cost from 10 million pensioners inside of weeks of taking place of work, arguing that it used to be now not inexpensive since the Conservatives had left a £22bn black hollow within the nation’s budget.

The receive advantages, which is price as much as £300, is now means-tested and best to be had to people who find themselves in receipt of pension credit score and a few different advantages.

The determination has been vastly unpopular with citizens and has been blamed for a few of Labour’s lack of enhance within the English native elections and Runcorn and Helsby byelection previous this month.

Keir Starmer didn’t deny that he used to be reconsidering the coverage this week. Speaking whilst on a shuttle to Albania, Starmer stated: “We took difficult decisions, but the right decisions, at the budget, including the decision that we took on winter fuel.”

“We are now seeing the benefits of that in the interest rate cuts and the growth figures. They were difficult decisions but the right decisions.”

Simon Francis, the coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, stated that “any U-turn is welcome, but what matters now is the detail, especially if winter fuel payments are not restored to all pensioners.

“We need to see the pension credit threshold raised significantly, a taper system introduced to stop people missing out on winter fuel payments for being just £1 over the line, and wider targeting of this support, including for those on non-means-tested disability benefits or carer’s allowance. Above all, ministers must learn lessons from this scandalous decision.”

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK celebration, which gained the Runcorn and Helsby byelection and 677 council seats this month, has pledged to opposite the reduce.

In the wake of the native election effects, the Labour Red Wall team of about 45 MPs suggested ministers to “act now” to win again citizens in northern England and the Midlands. They stated it used to be now not “weak” to reply to problems raised via the general public, together with the wintry weather gas cost reduce.

The coverage has additionally confronted public grievance from senior Labour figures together with Eluned Morgan, the Welsh first minister. Morgan stated closing week that citizens have been “very frustrated” via the reduce and that “it’s the number one issue that comes up on the doorstep” in Wales.

Any alternate to the coverage may well be introduced once subsequent month, with Reeves because of ship a spending assessment on 11 June.

Meanwhile Starmer is going through the largest rebel of his premiership subsequent month over separate cuts to incapacity advantages, with dozens of MPs caution closing week that they have been “impossible to support”.