Union looking to challenge abolition of Winter Fuel Payment

The Unite union, which is a major financial backer of Labour MPs, is launching a legal challenge to overturn the abolition of the Winter Fuel Payment. The abolition of the payment, which is worth £100-£300, has left 10 million pensioners out of pocket ahead of the winter.

Some estimates suggest as many as 4,000 of older people may die as a result of medical conditions made worse by living in a cold and damp house. The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has faced condemnation from backbench Labour MPs, charities and the opposition for removing the universal payment by limiting it the poorest individuals who qualify for Pension Credit.

But now she and the government face the embarrassment of a challenge from a Labour-supporting union that has donated more than £500,000 to more than 80 of the party’s MPs sitting in the House of Commons.

Unite has launched a judicial review process on behalf of the union and its retired members to overturn the government’s decision to cut the winter fuel payment to all but the poorest pensioners. It has sent a pre-action protocol letter to Liz Kendal the secretary of state at the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP), requesting the government reverse the removal the Winter Fuel Payment and repeal the regulations introduced in August 2024.

Unite’s case is built on the belief that the government has acted unlawfully, and its action will have a terrible effect on millions of older people in society and will likely cause an increase in cold related deaths. The government has been given until November 7 to respond to the letter and reverse its decision or face an application to the High Court to mount a full judicial review to decide on whether the decision was legal.

The Unite General Secretary,