In order to assist close a £22 billion “black hole” in the public coffers, the prime minister and chancellor, Rachel Reeves, decided to means-test the payouts, which may total up to £3,000.
When reporters accompanied Sir Keir to Washington, DC, he was pressed on whether or not an impact assessment would be released. He responded, “There isn’t a report on my desk which somehow we’re not showing, that I’m not showing, as simple as that.”
Furthermore, he said that producing one was not mandated by law for the government.
A Downing Street spokesperson stated that while some statistical analysis had been done, none on the potential effects of the move on.
The spokeswoman said, “that happened in the usual way to assess the proportion of protected characteristics, such as age and gender who claim winter fuel payments.” It was legally required to take into account the “equality implications” of any policy development.
In response to a question about whether an evaluation was necessary to determine whether the change would have a negative impact on senior citizens, the spokesperson stated: “There is a significant effort being made to transition people onto pension credit as the government will be making sure that those who are most vulnerable and should be receiving support are receiving it.
