Cabinet minister is slapped down by the Treasury after calling for winter fuel payments to be scrapped for wealthy pensioners

Cabinet minister John Glen has been slapped down by the Treasury after he raised the prospect of scrapping winter fuel payments for wealthier pensioners.

Mr Glen, who worked in the Treasury until last week’s reshuffle, questioned whether cash spent on help for heating bills would be better used to tackle child poverty.

The winter fuel payment sees all pensioners get up to £600 to assist with their energy costs during the colder months.

But, in a leaked recording obtained by the Telegraph, Mr Glen – who was appointed Cabinet Office minister last week – suggested the Government should act to restrict the payment to only the poorest pensioners.

He pointed to the example of his mother, who he described as ‘perfectly comfortable’, as he claimed she didn’t need the annual payment.

The Treasury swiftly dismissed Mr Glen’s comments – in which he also questioned the sustainability of the pensions triple lock – and said there were no plans to remove the winter fuel payment from those who are better off.

Cabinet minister John Glen has been slapped down by the Treasury after he raised the prospect of scrapping winter fuel payments for wealthier pensioners

The winter fuel payment sees all pensioners get up to £600 to assist with their energy costs during the colder months

Mr Glen was still Chief Secretary to the Treasury when he make the remarks at a gethering of Cambridge University Conservatives in St John’s College last month.

He said: ‘I think we also need to come to terms with the fact that the triple lock is very expensive and how sustainable is that going forward in terms of pensions and all the other benefits?

‘Because my mother, she’s not very rich but she’s perfectly comfortable. She just texted me today aged 75 to say ‘I’ve just heard about my £500 winter fuel payment’ and I’m just like ‘you don’t need that’.

‘But finding a mechanism to try and ration that [the winter fuel payment] is very difficult because our HMRC system will look at household incomes. These are the sorts of mechanics of government you’ve got to look at.

‘Is it better if we spent more of that money on child poverty? It probably is. But these are the sorts of things I think we need to look at.’

Quizzed about Mr Glen’s comments this morning, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Gareth Davies insisted there were ‘no plans’ to reduce the number of pensioners eligible to receive winter fuel payments.

He told Sky News: ‘We are not going to be touching the winter fuel allowance.’

Pressed on whether he was ruling out means testing the benefit, the Treasury minister replied: ‘We have no plans to change the winter fuel allowance.

‘But we have a strong record of supporting pensioners so we will always stand by our pensioners to ensure they have a dignified retirement and security in retirement.’

A Government spokesman said: ‘This is not something we are going to do.’

Source: Read Full Article