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MINISTER AND MP TORSTEN BELL HAS TOLD MPS THERE IS "NO PROSPECT" OF REVERSING THE MEANS-TESTING POLICY INTRODUCED LAST YEAR. 12:09, 04 Jun 2025 The state pensioners who will STILL

miss out on the Winter Fuel Payment despite it being reinstated have been revealed. Labour Party Minister and MP Torsten Bell has told MPs there is "no prospect" of reversing the

means-testing policy introduced last year. Bell said: "Directly on your question of is there any prospect of a universal winter fuel payment, the answer is no, the principle I think

most people, 95 per cent of people agree, that it's not a good idea that we have a system paying a few hundreds of pounds to millionaires, and so we're not going to be continuing

with that." It means the government has definitively ruled out returning to universal winter fuel payments. It means state pensioners who are on higher incomes, so not eligible for

Pension Credit, are unlikely to receive the £300 payouts. READ MORE ALL THE PARTS OF ENGLAND SET FOR 'AT LEAST 30C' NEXT WEEK IN UK HEATWAVE The minister confirmed the Government

would be "looking at making more pensioners eligible" for the payment, but anyone who is sitting on a healthy income will remain exempt. Article continues below The UK chancellor

said ministers would be announcing details of the changes to the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance “as soon as we possibly can”. But Mr Bell

ruled out a return to a universal winter fuel payment to all pensioners, reflecting a view in government that it would be unfair for the richest pensioners to receive it. At a speech in

Rochdale, Reeves told reporters: “We have listened to the concerns that people had about the level of the means test, and so we will be making changes to that; they will be in place so that

pensioners are paid this coming winter. Article continues below “We’ll announce the detail of that and the level of that as soon as we possibly can. But people should be in no doubt that the

means test will increase and more people will get a winter fuel payment this winter.” “Not every department will get everything that they want next week,” she said, “and I have had to say

no to things that I want to do too.” “Over the next week, you will hear a lot of debate about my so-called self-imposed fiscal rules,” Reeves said. “Now, contrary to some conventional

wisdom, I didn’t come into politics because I care passionately about fiscal rules. I came into politics because I want to make a difference to the lives of working people.”