Sir Keir Starmer has announced a U-turn on last year’s controversial cuts to winter fuel payments.
More than nine million pensioners lost out on the payments, worth up to £300, after eligibility for the pension top-up was tightened last year.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said ministers would look again at the threshold to allow “more pensioners” to qualify again.
He did not provide further details, adding that the changes would be made at a future Budget.
But he added the government would only “make decisions we can afford”.
The winter fuel payment is a lump-sum amount of £200 a year for pensioners under 80, increasing to £300 for over-80s, paid in November or December.
Around nine million pensioners lost out on the payments last year after the government restricted them to those who qualify for pension credit and other income-related benefits, to save an estimated £1.4bn.
Some Labour MPs have blamed the policy for losses at last month’s local elections, where Labour lost around two-thirds of the seats it was defending.
Downing Street ruled out changes earlier this month, but Chancellor Rachel Reeves hinted at a change in position earlier this week, saying she was listening to “concerns” about the policy.
The income threshold to qualify for pension credit this year is £11,800 for individuals and £18,023 for pensioner couples.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, a spokesman for the prime minister was unable to say how many more pensioners would qualify again under the U-turn.
“We will only make decisions when we can say where the money is coming from, how we’re going to pay for it and that it’s affordable,” he added.
