Sir Keir Starmer’s winter fuel cuts will hit around 600,000 disabled pensioners, the government’s analysis of the policy found.
The prime minister’s decision to restrict the payment to those earning £35,000 or less will see more than two million pensioners miss out on the allowance, worth up to £300.
Of those, more than a quarter are disabled and will be forced to hand back the £300 payment through the tax system.
It comes despite the government’s U-turn on its original decision to strip winter fuel payments from millions more pensioners, with the cuts now restricted to those earning more than £35,000.
Critics said the threshold is too low, particularly for disabled pensioners who will be hit by the change.
Dennis Reed, of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, told The Sunday Telegraph: “An annual income of £35,000 is not a king’s ransom under any circumstances – let alone for a disabled pensioner. This shows the crudeness of having a means-tested cut-off because it doesn’t take into account the individual circumstances.
“There are usually extra costs involved with having a disability. You might have to heat the house more than you otherwise would, or have to charge medical equipment such as electric wheelchairs, for example.”
Tory shadow pensions secretary Helen Whately said: “Under pressure, Labour lurched into a half-baked means test, causing yet more confusion and still leaving disabled pensioners in the cold.
“The system they’ve now designed is clumsy, complicated and ill-judged.”
The row over winter fuel payments dominated Sir Keir’s first year as prime minister, with the government eventually being forced into a £1.25bn U-turn on its decision to restrict the payment to those eligible for pension credit.
The backtracking has also contributed to the estimated £50bn black hole facing chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of her second Budget, expected in November.
Paul Johnson, former director of the influential Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has also said the change is “messy”. Mr Johnson noted that a rich pensioner couple – where one partner has an income of £100,000, while the other has £30,000 – will still get money. By contrast, a couple where both partners have income of £36,000 will get nothing, he said.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners and thanks to our triple lock, millions will see their yearly state pension rise by £1,900 this parliament.
“Nine million pensioners will also have help with their fuel bills this coming winter.”
