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The SNP has said Labour must learn lessons from the "damaging mess鈥� caused by robbing pensioners", following the government's U-turn today. 

The party, which has no little stake in the argument as the Scottish Parliament can issue its own winter fuel payments independently, has used the afternoon to criticise Rachel Reeves anyway.

It says her U-turn was "inevitable" and the government must go further, including scrapping "punitive" welfare policies like its planned disability cuts and the Tory era two-child benefit cap.

"At the spending review on Wednesday, the Labour government must end its austerity cuts for good - and not impose even more cuts to families and public services," he added.

This morning, ministers pledged there would be no return to austerity - saying that period is "over".

And the government has repeatedly refused to rule out reversing the two-child benefit cap.

Sir Keir Starmer has also faced a lot of flak from some of his backbenchers over proposed cuts to personal independence payments (PIP), which are received by people living with a disability.

The government has faced plenty of criticism for taking too long to U-turn on cuts to winter fuel payments.

But the chancellor has now also been slated for taking the U-turn at all - with one group saying she is giving the benefit to too many rich pensioners, again.

The Resolution Foundation, a left-wing think tank, has said the changes announced today will create "new complexity in the tax system".

Alex Clegg, an economist at the organisation, said an income of 拢35,000 (the new limit on who gets the payment) had become a "cliff-edge".

He added: "The reported savings of 拢450m will be reduced further by the cost of increased pension credit take-up as a result of the original policy, and the cost of administering the new means-test.

"The real question is why it is now a priority to pay winter fuel payments to over three quarters of pensioners, with almost half of the new beneficiaries in the richest half of the population, when previously it was judged that only one in 10 needed support."

For context: This think tank is a broadly pro-Labour group whose ex-CEO Torsten Bell was elected as a Labour MP at the last election.

Rachel Reeves must be feeling like she can't win.

Here's a round-up of how party leaders have responded to the news that millions more pensioners will get the winter-fuel payment this year.

Kemi Badenoch branded the change "humiliating", given the prime minister had repeatedly "arrogantly dismissed" her calls for a U-turn.

"Pensioners were forced to choose between heating and eating last winter," said the Tory leader. "Starmer should apologise to them."

Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said the decision to restrict winter fuel payments only to the poorest pensioners was "disastrous".

He said his party would study the proposed changes closely "to make sure those would need support actually get that support", adding: "The pain they went through this winter cannot be for nothing."

Nigel Farage said Reform could claim "some credit" for the U-turn, with his party having vowed to restore the payment to all pensioners should it ever enter government.

Although a glance at his voting record shows he didn't actually vote against the cuts when they were put to parliament last year.

Today's announcement from the Treasury only pertains to pensioners in England and Wales.

Those in Scotland and Northern Ireland are at the mercy of the devolved governments there.

In the former, the SNP administration had already announced plans for winter fuel payments of either 拢100, 拢200 or 拢300 for this year.

Those on some benefits, like pension credit, would get one of the higher amounts and everyone else would get 拢100.

In Northern Ireland, the Stormont administration initially said it would match the UK government's initial means-testing policy.

It was later announced that those pensioners impacted by the change would receive a one-off 拢100 payment to help with bills.

The government's change to cuts to winter fuel payments is "deeply embarrassing", a senior Tory has said.

Alex Burghart has (unsurprisingly) tried to paint Labour in the worst possible light, comparing them to "watching a baby giraffe on an ice rink [because] the government is all over the shop".

"Under pressure, they buckle," the shadow Cabinet Office minister said.

"[The chancellor] said she wasn't going to do this, she said she had to [cut the benefit] otherwise the economy would collapse, and now because she's become very unpopular, she's changed her mind."

Tax hikes would be 'incredibly embarrassing'

Asked what the Conservatives would have done, Burghart evaded the question and refused to say what threshold he would like to see. 

The Tories, for all their opposition to the initial cut, have never said they would actually have reinstated the payments.

But he pointed out Rachel Reeves has not said how the 拢1.25bn U-turn will be paid for, and said there will likely be tax hikes in the next budget.

He explained: "And that will be incredibly embarrassing for her because she promised us that there would be no more tax raids after her disastrous budget last year."

Rachel Reeves has confirmed the details of the government's long awaited winter fuel payments U-turn after months of backlash, political pressure and some bruising election results.

Who will get it?

From this coming winter, everyone above the state pension age in England and Wales with a household income of 拢35,000 or less will receive the winter fuel payment.

For most households, it'll be a payment of 拢200. It'll be 拢300 for those with someone older than 80 in the house.

Pensioners do not need to do anything - everyone will get it, and then those who aren't eligible will have the cash automatically recovered by HMRC.

How has this changed from before?

Labour had limited the allowance to people over state pension age who are receiving pension credit or a limited number of other benefits.

They were income support; income-based jobseeker's allowance; income-related employment and support allowance; universal credit.

The number of people eligible dropped from 11.4 million when it was a universal benefit, to 1.5 million last year. It's now back up to around nine million people, the government says.

What were the rules before Labour came in?

The payments were available to everyone above state pension age.

Most people got the winter fuel payment automatically.

The chancellor has reiterated her view that richer pensioners should not receive the benefit. Sorry Mick Jagger, you're out of luck.

How will the change be paid for?

That we don't know - the chancellor has pointed vaguely towards an improving economic picture, but specific details seemingly won't be forthcoming until the autumn budget.

The initial cut was of course designed to help fill that infamous 拢22bn "black hole" Reeves said she discovered in the public finances when Labour entered government last summer.

Age UK has said the government's U-turn on cuts to winter fuel payments is "the right thing to do" and will "bring some much-needed reassurance for older people and their families".

Caroline Abrahams, the charity's director, called it a "good day for older people".

She said: "We have always said what really matters is that the estimated 2.5 million older people who lost their winter fuel payment when they couldn't afford it get the money back, by one means or another. 

"This new policy will help all these people by restoring their winter fuel payment, and we welcome it as a result."

Government should 'build on' change

Abrahams added Age UK "would much have preferred" this change to happen last summer. 

She said there's much more to do to tackle fuel poverty, adding: "Today rights a wrong and marks a start. 

"We hope the government will build on it."

Our deputy political editor Sam Coates has been speaking to the chancellor following the announcement of who'll get the winter fuel payment this year - marking a big U-turn on one of her first big policies.

Sam says Rachel Reeves "looked nervous" having been "bounced into making the decision by her own Labour MPs" after the local elections.

Caving all over the place

Having been firm on her reasons for the winter fuel cuts last year, and repeatedly ruled out a U-turn, Sam says there's now an "incoherence" to what the chancellor's doing.

"She said she had to do it to stabilise the markets because there was a black hole left by her predecessors - now she is prepared to U-turn on it without spelling out how she'll pay for it," he says.

Reeves "seems to be caving all over the place", Sam adds - pointing to softened welfare cuts and potentially scrapping the two-child benefit cap later this year too.

It may not be a good sign to the markets that she can hold the fiscal line.

And for Labour colleagues, a sign that her political judgement is flawed.

The U-turn proves the government knows the cuts were a mistake, so how and why did she make it? "It's a blow to her credibility," Sam says.

Rachel Reeves has said the government has reversed cuts to winter fuel payments today because the UK economy is "now in a better position".

The chancellor told Sky News the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has "increased the growth forecasts for every other year in the forecast".

She explained: "They said that our reforms to the planning system would make the economy 拢6.8bn bigger, bringing in additional tax revenue.

"And in the first quarter of this year, we were the fastest growing economy in the G7."

'Not right' for richest pensioners to get help

She said there's "still work to do to ensure that the sums always add up", but that because of the decisions the government has made "we are now able to pay the winter fuel payment to more pensioners".

"We're not going back to the universal system. I don't think it is right that the very richest pensioners have their fuel bills subsidised," she added.

"But this year, nine million pensioners will get the winter fuel payment."

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey says the "disastrous" winter fuel cuts imposed last year caused "misery" for "countless pensioners".

He says many were "forced to choose between eating and heating", and the government "buried its head in the sand for months on end".

He welcomes the chancellor's U-turn, but adds: "We will now study the detail of this proposal closely to make sure those who need support actually get that support. 

"The pain they went through this winter cannot be for nothing."