Scottish Labour has broken Sir Keir Starmer's ranks by pledging to bring back Winter Fuel Payments for all pensioners north of the border.
Anas Sarwar pledged to bring the policy back if they win the 2026 Holyrood election, with opinion polls suggesting Labour could replace the SNP as the largest party in Scotland.
It comes after Starmer announced the benefit would only be available to those in receipt of pension credit or other benefits.
Under the plans, all pensioners would receive the payment initially, but it would be tapered over the years to reflect the income of recipients, with those who are better off receiving less in the longer term.
Sarwar said: "A Scottish Labour Government will reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners in Scotland.
"The Winter Fuel Payment was supposed to be a devolved benefit this year and there were additional resources available to the Scottish Government through the household support fund.
"That meant we could have taken a different approach in Scotland to support more households this year – instead, the SNP decided to hand the power back to the DWP (Department for Work & Pensions).
"For months I have said that the eligibility criterion of pension credit is too low and called for a Scottish solution to this issue.
"That’s why Scottish Labour will take back this devolved power from the DWP, reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment, and deliver a fairer system to ensure that everyone who needs support gets it.
"A UK Labour Government is clearing up the mess left by a chaotic Tory government – here in Scotland, people are demanding a new direction and in 2026 we have the opportunity to deliver it with a Scottish Labour Government."
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A UK Government Cabinet Minister said Scottish Labour had “made their choice” and it was part of devolution that there would be differences across the union.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: "I’m a big supporter of devolution. Devolution means different countries in the UK can do things differently. So Scottish Labour have made their choice – if they win the election in Scotland, that’s what they’ll do."
It comes after Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton set his sights on overtaking the Tories in 2026 Holyrood elections.
After Sir Ed Davey managed to leapfrog the Tories by increasing the number of Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs north of the border to six in the general election, Cole-Hamilton said they could "beat them at Holyrood too".
Meanwhile, Mark Findlater and Laurie Carnie, who both sit on Aberdeenshire Council, have defected from the Conservatives to Nigel Farage's Reform UKl saying that “the Tory brand is broken” across the UK.
Findlater, a former Aberdeenshire Council leader, told The Telegraph he was "really fed up with the way things were going" in the Tories and "I cannot see the Scottish Conservatives changing their ways."
He added: “I feel that Reform is the way forward.”
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Anas Sarwar pledged to bring the policy back if they win the 2026 Holyrood election, with opinion polls suggesting Labour could replace the SNP as the largest party in Scotland.
It comes after Starmer announced the benefit would only be available to those in receipt of pension credit or other benefits.
Under the plans, all pensioners would receive the payment initially, but it would be tapered over the years to reflect the income of recipients, with those who are better off receiving less in the longer term.
Sarwar said: "A Scottish Labour Government will reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners in Scotland.
"The Winter Fuel Payment was supposed to be a devolved benefit this year and there were additional resources available to the Scottish Government through the household support fund.
"That meant we could have taken a different approach in Scotland to support more households this year – instead, the SNP decided to hand the power back to the DWP (Department for Work & Pensions).
"For months I have said that the eligibility criterion of pension credit is too low and called for a Scottish solution to this issue.
"That’s why Scottish Labour will take back this devolved power from the DWP, reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment, and deliver a fairer system to ensure that everyone who needs support gets it.
"A UK Labour Government is clearing up the mess left by a chaotic Tory government – here in Scotland, people are demanding a new direction and in 2026 we have the opportunity to deliver it with a Scottish Labour Government."
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A UK Government Cabinet Minister said Scottish Labour had “made their choice” and it was part of devolution that there would be differences across the union.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: "I’m a big supporter of devolution. Devolution means different countries in the UK can do things differently. So Scottish Labour have made their choice – if they win the election in Scotland, that’s what they’ll do."
It comes after Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton set his sights on overtaking the Tories in 2026 Holyrood elections.
After Sir Ed Davey managed to leapfrog the Tories by increasing the number of Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs north of the border to six in the general election, Cole-Hamilton said they could "beat them at Holyrood too".
Meanwhile, Mark Findlater and Laurie Carnie, who both sit on Aberdeenshire Council, have defected from the Conservatives to Nigel Farage's Reform UKl saying that “the Tory brand is broken” across the UK.
Findlater, a former Aberdeenshire Council leader, told The Telegraph he was "really fed up with the way things were going" in the Tories and "I cannot see the Scottish Conservatives changing their ways."
He added: “I feel that Reform is the way forward.”
Find Out More...