Rachel Reeves handed winter fuel payment petition with 150,000 signatures

Chancellor was told it is not too late to change her mind on winter fuel payment cuts ahead of the Budget.

Campaign group Silver Voices and the Daily Express today handed in a petition signed by almost 150,000 people to 10 Downing Street calling for pensioners to be protected.

Ms Reeves has faced an ongoing backlash after restricting the winter fuel allowance to only Britain's poorest OAPs.

Tory shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride and Reform leader Nigel Farage attended the hand-in to show their support for the Express's campaign against the policy.

Mr Stride said: "The Budget is upon us, this is her opportunity now to unravel this disastrous policy that is seeing millions of pensioners affected this winter.

"We know what's going to happen in the winter, a lot of pensioners are now going to have to make that choice between heating or eating.

"So the message is Rachel you've got your chance on Wednesday with the Budget, row back on this policy.

"It's not too late, it's never too late. Of course the Budget would be the ideal opportunity for the Chancellor to stand up and say we've got this wrong. This is her chance to think again."

Mr Farage, the MP for Clacton, said there was a "great feeling of upset" over the Labour Government stripping winter fuel payments from most pensioners.

He said: "I think the truth is there are an awful lot of pensioners out there who are desperately worried, indeed frightened, about this loss of money."

Mr Farage raised fears over OAPs on modest incomes being pulled into the taxman's net as the Chancellor is expected to extend a freeze on the tax-free personal allowance.

He said: "This is a pretty cruel blow and it doesn't stop here because the Budget this week will probably freeze income tax allowances and a lot of pensioners with small private incomes on top of the old pension will now find themselves dragged into taxation. So these are pretty tough times for old age pensioners."

The Chancellor sparked fury in July when she announced plans to limit previously universal winter fuel payments of up to £300 to only those on pension credit.

Silver Voices wants the allowance to be restored to all pensioners who do not pay the higher rate of income tax.

The over-60s campaign group also wants a guarantee that other OAP benefits, such as free bus passes and prescriptions, will remain in place for the rest of this parliament.

Director Dennis Reed said: "I want her to protect older people generally and obviously a vital part of that is to restore the winter fuel payment cuts that are affecting 10 million older people.

"If there has to be a cut-off point for the winter fuel payment it should be at least at the level of the higher rate of tax.

"So we want some mitigating measures in the Budget this week on the winter fuel situation. Otherwise we'll find more and more people living in one room in their houses with their winter coats, scarves and hats on and surely that's not the way that people should live in the 21st century in this country.

"Particularly people who have paid their taxes, their national insurance, for maybe 50 years and are left in that dire situation, it's not on.

"We also want her to recognise that the basic state pension is far too low which is why we depend on these universal pensioner benefits.

"£169.50 a week is all that most older people get and we really couldn't live on that sort of money."

Referring to the recent freebies row which engulfed Sir Keir Starmer's party, he added: "I know politicians who are pretty well off would spend that without a second thought on a meal out or certainly would pay for a Taylor Swift ticket. Well, that's all that a lot of pensioners get for their whole week's existence."

Mr Reed added that there was "a lot of desperation out there" and vowed to continue to campaign against the policy.

The Chancellor blamed the axing of winter fuel payments on a £22 billion black hole in the public finances left by the Tories, which they have denied.

The controversial change will see the number of older people in receipt of the allowance fall by around 10 million.

The measure, which comes as energy bills went up this month, is expected to save up to £1.5 billion a year.

But the move has faced widespread condemnation from opposition parties, charities, unions and some Labour politicians.

Senior Conservative MP Esther McVey accused the Labour Government of making a "political choice" over winter fuel payments after striking public sector workers were handed eye-watering pay hikes.

Writing in the Daily Express, she said: "They decided to abandon pensioners because they think they don't vote Labour, and decided to give the money instead to their trades union paymasters and cheerleaders."

A Government spokesperson said: "We are committed to supporting pensioners - with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock.

"Anyone who makes a successful claim for pension credit and meets the winter fuel payment eligibility criteria will receive their payment, and we are deploying additional staff to process the expected increase in claims.

"Over a million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and our drive to boost pension credit take up has already seen a 152% increase in claims. Many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the household support fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills."