Scottish ministers pledge universal winter fuel payments for pensioners

Nearly a million pensioners will benefit from the Scottish government’s mitigation of the UK cuts to winter fuel allowance. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

The Scottish government will reintroduce universal winter fuel payments for pensioners, in a bid to outstrip Labour ahead of the Holyrood elections.

Nearly a million pensioners will benefit from the SNP government’s mitigation after the Labour UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced her controversial policy to means-test winter fuel payments for older people, which is believed to be partly responsible for Scottish Labour’s poll slump since the general election.