South Devon’s Liberal Democrat MP has welcomed the Government’s U-turn on the Winter Fuel Payment.

Under the Government’s plans, all pensioners earning £35,000 a year or less will now have their Winter Fuel Payments reinstated this winter. This comes nearly a year after the Government announced a significant cut to the benefit shortly after winning the election.

Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, said that decision last July set the tone for a Government that has so far failed to live up to the message of change it ran on during the election.

Despite the U-turn, Caroline Voaden has warned a similar issue is arising for the Government around its plans to cut disability benefits.

The plans, which are expected to be voted on this month, could result in 83% of claimants in South Devon losing some of their benefits, according to Liberal Democrat research.

Reflecting on the U-turn, South Devon MP Caroline Voaden said: “The decision to cut the winter fuel payment last July cast a shadow over Labour’s first year in Office that they have yet to step out of. Even with this massive U-turn, I still fear the Government doesn’t understand the pain this policy caused last winter when they still had their heads in the sand.

“At one point, over a fifth of emails in my inbox were about the winter fuel payment. If the Government has truly ‘listened’ then it should scrap its planned changes to Personal Independence Payment, which could wreak a similar level of distress on another vulnerable group in society.”

The proposed PIP changes are focused on the daily living segment. Recent suggestions have been to introduce a points system, needing to score at least 4 points on one daily living activity to be considered for PIP.