THE leader of the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to ask her to reconsider her decision to end universal winter payments. 

Last month Ms Reeves announced that she would cut the payments after a snap audit revealed that the previous Tory government had left behind £22 billion of “unfunded commitments.”

Winter fuel payments of up to £300 to help towards heating bills were previously available to anyone above state pension age. But Ms Reeves said that now they will only be given to those who receive pension credit and means-tested benefits.

In a personal letter to the Chancellor, NPC general secretary Jan Shortt wrote that many older people may not “not survive to see the spring or any other season” after the payments are cut.

She highlighted that two million older people are already living in poverty across Britain and that the policy could see them “washing in cold water and not using the cooker” to save money.

The letter added that the government’s triple-lock keeping pensions in line with inflation would not be sufficient to offset the loss of the winter fuel payment.

“We ask that you step away from this ill-advised strategy immediately to protect those older people most affected by your decision,” she said.

Members of the pensioners’ convention, Britain’s largest campaign organisation run for and by older people, are now being urged to write to their MPs to press Ms Reeves to halt her plans.