To say the £35k winter fuel threshold is way too high!

[chocolateismyweakness4]

The threshold needed to be raised, but £35k?! I wish I earned that and I have a mortgage and commuting costs. It also doesn’t take into account savings (so they could have millions in the bank) or household income.

We all know it’s a bribe, but they still won’t get pensioners to vote for them.

It’s not “just £200” it’s £1.25bn. There’s more worthy things that the money could be spent on imo

I think you’ll find it’s the government, who made this decision - because the government is frightened of Reform’s success!

Anyway, it was only ever a narrow section of “Boomers” that did well. Most didn’t!

Oh god don't come with logic!! But yes agree, my mum and father in law will get it, neither of whom are baby boomers.

It is 50p a day. It was always a stupid fuss about nothing. The government is basically paying for the anger to go away. My 85 year old mum who lives on the pitiful old state pension plus whatever pittance she earns (yes, she’s been working & paying tax for 70years now) wasn’t bothered about it going as it’s so little. Inflation and wage growth will make it worth less every year.

But it won’t stop people voting Reform, or win Labour voters back.

Exactly this. It's why today's change is so stupid. The damage to Labour was done last year. This change won't make everyone flock back to supporting Labour!

There’s another four years to do that. Reform is going to fuck up ten councils between now and the next GE.

I'm not at all sure it's an 'over reaction' when you consider KCC, alone, have seen 40% of their democratic county council meetings cancelled up until at least this summer - meetings that other democratically elected representatives of constituents should be able to attend in order uphold transparency, integrity and democracy in local government - and all because Reform are incompetent and have no idea what they are doing, despite standing all of these local candidates in the last round of local elections.

It’s 3.5 years until the next election. This isn’t going to be an issue then

It needed reviewing as the threshold was too low. Now it's too high, I agree. Where's the review of PIP while they're at it?

I was very against the original threshold as not giving it to someone just getting the basic state pension is clearly far too low - but it's ridiculous giving it to people who are getting as much as many people working, but less likely to have a large mortgage they are paying. Around 20/22K would feel more realistic to me.

I'm retired and Labour voting, and I'm furious that I will receive the Winter Fuel Allowance now. I don't need it, but I do need a working NHS, bus services, libraries and the like.
This is a politically motivated U-turn that I suspect will backfire.

According to Martin Lewis you can opt out of receiving it if you don't want or need it.

Pandora socks- I imagine All Boomers are now pensioners!

The youngest baby boomers were born in 1964, so not quite yet!!

Looking forward to seeing how many do this…!

And some had nearly 20.

This is what I mean, though, about WASPI women expecting sympathy but giving none.

I think the generations coming up after us have a harder time that Boomers / Gen X ever will as a cohort.

WFA won’t even exist when many get to pension age either.

Nowhere near. The youngest are 61.

I don’t think it’s quite winning voters back - anecdotally it is usually acknowledged that age group are not huge Labour supporters and never have been. But it might have meant they didn’t vote for Reform during the local elections in such high numbers. And we’re all going to suffer the consequences of that.

They really aren’t - 5% of pensioners are in private rented. If you’ve managed to get a pension of £35k and you are private renting you’ve more than likely done some poor planning.

husband an I are on around £35k each and live in the south. We have a child in childcare but still manage to have a decent standard of living we have a nice beach holiday, the kids do lots of clubs and we overpay our mortgage - we absolutely do not need assistance in paying our heating bills

Same.

The youngest baby boomers have up to another 6 1/2 years until they are 67 and eligible for their state pension. So in terms of years a third of baby boomers are of working age.

And some had nearly 20.

Then they weren’t waspi women.

The youngest are still 60 but will be 61 this calendar year.