Sarwar vows to give winter fuel payments to more Scots pensioners

There are a few elements at play when it comes to this announcement.

For one thing, Anas Sarwar has always said he’s uncomfortable with the UK Labour government’s criteria around who gets a winter fuel payment. He thinks it’s too restrictive.

Also, after Keir Starmer’s rough start upon entering Downing Street, he’s perhaps made the calculation that a bit of distance between him and UK Labour is no bad thing.

Indeed, in a huddle with press this morning, Sarwar was keen to stress areas where he’s taken a different approach (such as joining workers on picket lines).

Remember the context here: there’s a Holyrood election in 2026, and Scottish Labour won’t want to be associated with any UK Labour unpopularity around that time.

Finally, there’s a bit of a challenge to the Scottish government in all of this.

As the budget approaches, there are rumblings that Scottish ministers could throw some extra cash towards pensioners.

In the wake of today’s announcement Anas Sarwar can claim he made the first move.

But there’s no denying this also comes with an element of awkwardness – as Scottish Labour are acknowledging that the UK government’s policy on winter fuel payments falls short.