Should it be given to all poor people? Should it be given to all pensioners? Should it be means tested?
What does she actually think?
Anything?
She...
"...has an interesting argument about means-testing the winter fuel allowance, an idea that Whitehall officials presented to the Conservatives “time and again”.
She criticised Rachel Reeves, saying the chancellor opted to do it because “she has no ideas of her own”.
Means-testing the winter fuel allowance was a Conservative manifesto commitment in the 2017 election, it is the programme that Badenoch was first elected to parliament on. There is much that you can reasonably say both to criticise or to defend Theresa May and Nick Timothy, the authors of that manifesto, but I just don’t think “no ideas of their own” is a credible or serious one.
Maybe — and I’m just spitballing here — maybe the reason why officials kept suggesting that the government means-test the winter fuel allowance and the reason why May wanted to do it in 2017 is also the reason why our new Labour government did it, which is that it is a reasonable suggestion.
When Gordon Brown introduced the winter fuel allowance in 1997, pensioners were the poorest cohort in the UK. They are now the richest. It is also a benefit that has stayed the same in cash terms as it was in 2000, rather like the “Christmas bonus” that is paid to some benefit recipients and pensioners. This bonus was £10 when Edward Heath introduced it, was £10 when it was made permanent in 1979 and is £10 today. This is a really silly way to spend money! We are handing a benefit of diminishing value to an ever-wealthier group for no particular reason."
FT.com
Stephen Bush
Columnist and Associate Editor
17 January 2025
What does she actually think?
Anything?
She...
"...has an interesting argument about means-testing the winter fuel allowance, an idea that Whitehall officials presented to the Conservatives “time and again”.
She criticised Rachel Reeves, saying the chancellor opted to do it because “she has no ideas of her own”.
Means-testing the winter fuel allowance was a Conservative manifesto commitment in the 2017 election, it is the programme that Badenoch was first elected to parliament on. There is much that you can reasonably say both to criticise or to defend Theresa May and Nick Timothy, the authors of that manifesto, but I just don’t think “no ideas of their own” is a credible or serious one.
Maybe — and I’m just spitballing here — maybe the reason why officials kept suggesting that the government means-test the winter fuel allowance and the reason why May wanted to do it in 2017 is also the reason why our new Labour government did it, which is that it is a reasonable suggestion.
When Gordon Brown introduced the winter fuel allowance in 1997, pensioners were the poorest cohort in the UK. They are now the richest. It is also a benefit that has stayed the same in cash terms as it was in 2000, rather like the “Christmas bonus” that is paid to some benefit recipients and pensioners. This bonus was £10 when Edward Heath introduced it, was £10 when it was made permanent in 1979 and is £10 today. This is a really silly way to spend money! We are handing a benefit of diminishing value to an ever-wealthier group for no particular reason."
FT.com
Stephen Bush
Columnist and Associate Editor
17 January 2025
