SCOTTISH Labour has pledged to mitigate the impact of the British government’s means test on winter fuel payments with a new one.

Just weeks after winning office, Chancellor Rachel Reeves chose to abandon pensioners’ universal entitlement to winter fuel payments and use eligibility for pensions credit to gatekeep the benefit.

More than 10 million pensioners across Britain lost the payments as a result, including 900,000 in Scotland when the SNP Scottish government followed Labour’s lead.

Now Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has pledged to introduce “fairer” eligibility criteria-tapered payments, should they win power in 2026.

He said: “The winter fuel payment was supposed to be a devolved benefit this year and there were additional resources available to the Scottish government through the household support fund.

“Instead, the SNP decided to hand the power back to the DWP” (Department for Work and Pensions).

“For months I have said that the eligibility criterion of pension credit is too low and called for a Scottish solution to this issue.

“That’s why Scottish Labour will take back this devolved power from the DWP, reinstate the winter fuel payment, and deliver a fairer system to ensure that everyone who needs support gets it.”

Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville slammed the announcement as proof “Scottish Labour’s ambition for Scotland is to simply mitigate decisions made by a Westminster Labour government.

“Anas Sarwar sat on his hands while his Westminster colleagues forced through this cut, and he must explain why Labour failed to back the reintroduction of the winter fuel payment just a few weeks ago in the Scottish Parliament.”