Martin Lewis warns state pensioners born in these years will be £500 worse off

Martin Lewis has warned state pensioners born in these years will be £500 worse off. ITV and BBC star Mr Lewis warned the Winter Fuel Payments worth £300 - for state pensioners born before 23 September 1944 - could be exacerbated by rising energy bills.

Mr Lewis warned: "It is true that energy bills for a typical home will be £100 less Oct-March this year than last. And indeed, I explained that on Newsnight when talking about the Winter Fuel Payment. Yet ALL pensioner homes have lost last years £300 cost of living payments. Most have lost the £200/£300 winter fuel payments.

"So factor all that in and they are down either £200 (if with WFP) or £400 or £500 without it. I also explained (do listen back) the uplift from the pension triple lock doesn't happen until April and the figures used for that substantially overestimate the uplift most get (as most are on OLD state pension which is lower and lower uplift, and not all have full contributions).

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"Again as I said in the programme I have no issue with means testing, my issue is 1. The £11,400 means test level is too low in my view 2. Using the critically underclaimed 'Pension Credit' as the means test mechanism is flawed and leaves many of the very poorest missing out."

It came after a fan asked him via Twitter, or now X: "Energy is capped £200 lower than last winter, why are you pointlessly scaring pensioners?" Mr Lewis said: "State pension ROSE last year to keep up with the 10% inflation that year. That was based on past price increases not current ones.

" The Warm Homes discount is not a universal payment most homes dont get it. There is a real risk of 100,000 MORE pensioners moving into poverty due to the WFP change - that came out last week, the governments own figures. This isn't a party political issue for me, this is a simple issue of a flawed policy move."