Cold weather killed 2,500 last winter after Labour axed pensioners’ fuel allowance
Thousands of people died as a result of cold weather last winter after Labour stripped pensioners of fuel payments, damning figures reveal.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data linking 2,544 deaths to low temperatures shows the ‘deadly consequences’ of the Government’s actions, charities say.
Even Labour’s own MPs on Wednesday accused the party of failing to protect the ‘poorest and frailest’ in society.
The decision to restrict payments to pensioners in receipt of certain benefits meant ten million fewer received help with fuel bills in 2024/25 than in previous years.
This followed a crippling surge in energy prices – linked to the war in Ukraine – and pushed many households into fuel poverty, the End Fuel Poverty Coalition said.
This is the first time the UKHSA has published estimates of deaths associated with cold weather in England and covers November 2024 to January 2025. It shows the deaths were most common among men and the elderly, and were concentrated around three cold snaps where average temperatures plummeted below 2C for at least two consecutive days.
The most severe was a six-day spell from January 7, which accounted for 1,630 fatalities. At the time, the typical household energy bill under Ofgem’s price cap was more than £1,700.
Cold weather causes blood vessels to narrow and blood to thicken, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It can also cause tightening of airways and breathing difficulties.
The decision to restrict payments to pensioners in receipt of certain benefits meant ten million fewer received help with fuel bills in 2024/25 than in previous years
The Government announced in July 2024 that it would restrict winter fuel payments to pensioners on particular benefits in a bid to cut spending (stock image of elderly couple)
Simon Francis, from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said high energy prices and cuts to the winter fuel payment led pensioners to cut back on usage ‘to a dangerous extent’.
And Labour MP Rachael Maskell told the Daily Mail: ‘While the UK remains one of the richest countries, it failed to protect the poorest and frailest.’
The Government announced in July 2024 that it would restrict winter fuel payments to pensioners on particular benefits in a bid to cut spending.
The UKHSA study found mortality peaks around five days after cold weather. Dr Agostinho Sousa, of UKHSA, said: ‘Understanding who is most affected and how these risks are changing helps us better support vulnerable groups.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘We provided support this winter through the Warm Homes Plan, winter fuel and cold weather payments.’
