State pensioners given new update on free bus passes after fears it could be scrapped

Specifically, the rumours were sparked during Prime Minister's Questions last week when Conservative MP Louie French asked what other pensioner benefits are on the chopping block following the means-testing of Winter Fuel Payments

An update has been given regarding free bus passes for state pensioners after rumours spread a proposed cut was on the horizon.

State pensioners living in England can claim a free bus pass when they reach the state pension age of 66 years, and those living in Scotland and Wales can get a bus pass when they turn 60. However, rumours that the perk was set to be scrapped started to spread after Chancellor Rachel Reeves cut the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) £300 Winter Fuel Payment this year.

Specifically, they were sparked during Prime Minister's Questions last week when Conservative MP Louie French asked what other pensioner benefits are on the chopping block following the means-testing of Winter Fuel Payments. In response, Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not rule it out saying: "As he knows very well, I am not going to preempt the Budget. It will all be set out in due course."

However, to put rumours to rest, a Labour spokesperson has confirmed that there are "no plans to withdraw" the free bus pass scheme. The spokesperson added: "We know how vital the free bus pass scheme is for preventing loneliness, providing access to vital services and keeping people connected to loved ones, and that's why we have no plans to withdraw it."

When concerns were rising, shadow transport secretary Helen Whately reached out to Labour's transport secretary Louise Haigh to address the rumour. In a letter, the shadow secretary said: "Pensioners across the country remain hugely worried about how they will cope with the Government's recent cut to the winter fuel allowance. If scrapping their bus passes is not in your plans, then to allow this speculation to continue is immensely cruel."

The issue has arisen as cabinet members did not rule out the measure and allowed a frenzy to build around it. But to reiterate, a Labour spokesperson has confirmed that the Government would not be cutting the free bus pass scheme for state pensions in England in the budget this year. The Autumn Statement is set for October 30 and will be Labour's first budget since coming into power this summer.

Many are anticipating "austerity 2.0" - a term coin by Labour MP Zarah Sultana - as both Starmer and Reeves have said the budget would involve "tough decisions" on tax, spending and welfare. Labour blames this on the Tories who left a £22billion "black hole" in the UK's public finances when they left office.

Many critics have called out this figure as the government has not released a breakdown of the shortfall. However ahead of the election, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) had said that a new government would likely see a shortfall of between £10-£20billion by 2028/29.

After the chancellor’s statement revealing the shortfall, IFS Director Paul Johnson said many of the challenges Labour outlined in July were “entirely predictable”, but that the in-year financial pressures did “genuinely appear to be greater than could be discerned from the outside”. Further insight into this shortfall could be revealed in the budget next month.