[arista]

[Some believe that it was intrinsically inept
to target a benefit paid to pensioners.
Others believe the threshold should
have been set higher so that
fewer pensioners lost out.
Another group say that if
the Budget - with a big tax rise and funding boost
for public services - had come at the same time,
it would have made the winter fuel policy less isolated
and as a result less controversial.]




[The details will follow in the
Budget this autumn.
But make no mistake, this is a U-turn.
The decision to means-test the
winter fuel allowance was one of
the first announcements made by
Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves
almost a year ago.

It was intended to demonstrate both
the dire state of the government's
economic inheritance and the new
regime's willingness to take
tough decisions in response.
It didn't quite turn out that way.
Early grumblings from MPs generally
on the Labour left rapidly spread into
more unexpected parts of the party.
Even those MPs who made a decent fist
of defending the policy right
to the end admitted that it was
the most frequently raised issue
by members of the public when
they were out campaigning.]


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj933dngwlyo