Comment on Labour's potential U-turn on the Winter Fuel Payment

"While changing eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment would be welcomed by those struggling the most with bills, there remains a structural problem in the UK that our homes are colder, damper and more inefficient because, as a country, our investment in improving them as declined over the last decade.

"Bill payers and tax payers have so far had to shell out hundreds of billions of pounds on the gas crisis, which hasn’t gone away. Unless we ensure more people can live in well-insulated, warmer homes that use less gas, as a country we’re at the mercy of volatile markets manipulated by actors like Putin.

"So far the Government’s track record has been to delay warmer home standards for private rentals. All eyes are on its manifesto pledge of a Warm Homes Plan with boosted funding to fix the underlying problem, improving homes, rather than treating the symptoms."