An attempt by the Conservatives to prevent cuts to the winter fuel allowance has been rejected in the Commons, with MPs voting 348 to 228 against the motion.
Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall defended the policy, citing financial constraints and the need to target support more effectively.
Labour’s Meg Hillier suggested that the policy reflects past economic decisions.
Introduced in 1997, winter fuel payments were initially available to all UK pensioners to assist with heating costs.
These annual payments, ranging from £100 to £300, were made each winter.
In the winter of 2022-23, 11.4 million payments were issued, with amounts rising to £600 due to additional cost of living support.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented: “MPs have made the dangerous decision to condemn some of the most vulnerable pensioners to live in cold damp homes this winter.
“Many pensioners in poverty will now see energy bills higher than they have ever experienced in their lives.
“Parliamentarians and ministers should examine their conscience and the deluge of correspondence they have had on this issue from worried pensioners and back ways to mitigate the pain of the cut.”
