Keir Starmer is making a significant policy shift by expanding winter fuel payment eligibility for pensioners, responding to public backlash against prior cuts. The government aims to revise certain policies as economic conditions appear more favorable, hinting at potential adjustments to the two-child benefit cap and welfare cuts. Starmer's government is under pressure to mitigate backlash from Labour backbenchers ahead of the impending spending review, which is expected to introduce measures to tackle child poverty, focusing on education, work, and housing initiatives.
Keir Starmer has announced a partial U-turn that would make more pensioners eligible for winter fuel payments, as government figures opened the door for more tweaks to controversial policies.
We're open to adapting policy as the circumstances allow. So when there's an opportunity to make people better off, which is our central purpose, then we're going to take it.
Senior Labour figures are hoping the partial U-turn on winter fuel, along with measures to curb child poverty to be announced at the spending review, will help to head off a growing backbench rebellion over the government's 5bn welfare cuts.
This is expected to focus on measures to tackle the root causes of poverty such as work, housing and education.
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