SNP ministers accused of making ‘political choice’ to cut winter fuel payment in Scotland
SNP ministers have been accused of making a “political choice” to scrap universal winter fuel payments in Scotland after they attempted to blame the Chancellor.
Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, said John Swinney’s assertion that he had no choice other than to follow Rachel Reeves’s decision to means-test the benefit was “not true”.
The First Minister has argued that the Chancellor’s decision south of the Border led to a £160 million cut in the funding the Scottish Government receives through the Barnett formula.
But Mr Ross said this equated to only 0.3 per cent of the SNP administration’s £50 billion annual budget and the “decision not to pay this money to Scottish pensioners is one taken by the SNP Government”.
Mr Ross told First Minister’s Questions that control over the benefit had been devolved to Holyrood and taunted the SNP that “when they are given the chance to act, they run in the opposite direction and blame Westminster”.
With Scotland having a colder climate than the rest of the UK, he also challenged Mr Swinney to come clean on how many additional OAP deaths the change is forecast to cause this winter.
It emerged earlier this week that Labour had warned in 2017 that an additional 4,000 pensioners across the UK could die if winter fuel payments were cut. The UK Government said it “did not recognise” the figure.
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The exchanges at Holyrood occurred after SNP ministers announced last month that almost a million Scottish pensioners will lose their winter fuel payments from this year.
The payment of between £100 and £300 will now only go to 130,000 OAPs in receipt of Pension Credit and other means-tested benefits – 900,000 fewer than last year.
This means the SNP will break a 2021 Holyrood election manifesto pledge not to means-test the benefit.
Mr Ross said: “The winter fuel payment – shamefully cut by Labour at Westminster – was devolved to the Scottish Government. The decision not to pay this money to Scottish pensioners is one taken by the SNP Government.
“The First Minister has said that his Government is against these cuts – and that they were forced upon them – but that is not true.”
The Scottish Tory leader added: “Labour said this policy would kill thousands of pensioners across the UK and, due to our colder climate, a disproportionate number of those are likely to be in Scotland. But John Swinney repeatedly refused to say how many unnecessary deaths his policy will lead to.”
He also pointed to a consultation published by SNP ministers in May on the operation of the Scottish winter fuel payment, which said “the eligibility and scope” would continue to be reviewed.
Mr Ross said this was evidence that SNP ministers were considering scaling back the benefit “long before” the UK Labour Government.
Mr Swinney told MSPs: “I deeply regret the fact that the Scottish Government finds itself in the position that we find ourselves in.
“We fully expected the devolution of the winter fuel payment issue to the Scottish Government, and were planning to pay that support to pensioners in Scotland on a universal basis. That was our plan.”
But he said his administration was only given 90 minutes notice of the Chancellor’s announcement that the benefit was being means-tested south of the Border.
Highlighting the resulting £160 million cut in Scottish Government funding, the First Minister added: “This is not of our making or planning, and it certainly is not of our choice.”