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Will Winter Fuel Allowance payments return for all pensioners?<\/p>\n
\n Pensions minister Torsten Bell told MPs that there is no prospect of returning to universal winter fuel payments.\n<\/p>\n
\n Speaking to the Work and Pensions Committee, Mr Bell said: \u201cDirectly on your question of is there any prospect of a universal winter fuel payment, the answer is no, the principle I think most people, 95% of people, agree, that it\u2019s not a good idea that we have a system paying a few hundreds of pounds to millionaires, and so we\u2019re not going to be continuing with that.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBut we will be looking at making more pensioners eligible.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Very pleased to just hear the Prime Minister has just said he wants more state pensioners to get Winter Fuel Payments (WFP) and they will work out what they’re doing in time for the budget.<\/p>\n
As I’ve said since day one, there are two main problems with the way the means testing\u2026\n <\/p>\n
\u2014 Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) May 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n \n He told the MPs: \u201cOf course the announcement, as and when it\u2019s made, will be made to the House.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n The Prime Minister said \u201cas the economy improves\u201d, he wanted to look at widening eligibility for the payments, which are worth up to \u00a3300.\n<\/p>\n \n The pensions minister has ruled out returning winter fuel allowance to all pensioners – our recent poll found 33% wanted to do so, but more (44%) thought they should continue to be means tested, but given to more pensioners than under current rules<\/p>\n Results link in following\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/QiyE2YetgR<\/a>\n <\/p>\n(Image: House of Commons\/UK Parliament\/PA Wire)Mr Bell said he did not have \u201clots to add\u201d to what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had said recently about the allowance.\n<\/p>\n