The axing of the winter fuel payment for all but the poorest pensioners has caused ructions for Labour ever since it was announced in July.

Last week, Anas Sarwar tried to mitigate the damage north of the Border by pledging to extend the payment if his party formed the next Scottish Government; all pensioners would receive a payment via a devolved benefit, though it would be tapered so that the wealthiest households received less.

Today, one of our readers argues that the policy announcement is “simply a soundbite” without detail on the costings.

David Howie of Dunblane writes:

"Anas Sarwar has announced that a future Scottish Labour Government will bring back the winter fuel payment, means tested on a scale where wealthy pensioners will only receive a token payment. Nowhere has he outlined the costs involved.

How much will it cost to set up such a scheme? What will be the annual cost of administering it? How much annually will the total amount of payments be? Surely Labour must know all of this, as Rachel Reeves is on record as saying that Labour will not make unfunded policy commitments.

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Also, what are the criteria being proposed to determine who gets what amount of payment and what will the application process be?

If Scottish Labour cannot answer these questions, the policy announcement is simply a soundbite with no substance."