The House of Commons debate on the planned cuts to the winter fuel payment will begin shortly.

This will last for around an hour and a half, and will be followed by a vote.

We'll bring you the key lines from both here - follow along by pressing watch live at the top of this page.

Will pensions increase make up for loss of winter fuel payments?published at 13:20 British Summer Time 10 September

13:20 BST 10 September

By Gerry Georgieva and Anthony Reuben

BBC Verify has been looking at some of the claims made about the cut to winter fuel payments ahead of the vote in Parliament.

Sir Keir Starmer said this on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

This morning, the Office for National Statistics published the latest average earnings figures, external, which showed annual growth of 4%.

That is the figure that will be used to set the increase in the state pension, which means the full state pension will go up by £460 a year.

As the winter fuel payment is either £200 or £300, the prime minister is right that the increase in the state pension will generally be more than that.

But there are a couple of problems with his claim, the first of which is that the state pension will not rise until April and the £460 will be spread over the following year. Winter fuel payments, on the other hand, are usually made in November or December.

The other problem is that the increase in the state pension is meant to help pensioners with the rising cost of living as a whole, not just coping with the loss of winter fuel payments.

• Read the full story here

As a reminder, Labour suspended seven of its MPs in July after they voted against the government on an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

They lost the whip for six months, meaning they were suspended from the parliamentary party and now sit as independents.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the PM said it was "a matter for the chief whip" to decide whether Labour MPs who vote against today's proposal will be suspended.

• The chief whip is an MP who is responsible for other MPs attending Parliament and voting along party lines

Starmer added: "Every Labour MP was elected on the same mandate as I was, which was to deliver the change that we need for the country."

More than 354,000 people have now signed a petition demanding a U-turn on the government's plans to cut back on the winter fuel payment.

The petition, launched by campaign group 38 Degrees, calls on both the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Scottish Finance Minister Shona Robison not to limit the payments.

"Pensioners shouldn’t be the ones to pay the price to rescue the nation’s finances, especially as energy bills are about to increase again," says Matthew McGregor, CEO of 38 Degrees.

Image source, 38 Degrees

Some MPs concerned about the government's plan to cut winter fuel payments have signed what is called an Early Day Motion (EDM).

Early Day Motions are used by MPs to draw the House's attention to a particular issue. The motion was submitted by Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan and has been signed by 43 others - with five signatures added in the last 30 minutes.

Among the signatories are:

• Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Rebecca Long Bailey and Zarah Sultana, who were all suspended from the Labour Party after voting against the government on an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap
• SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn, who told the Good Morning Scotland programme Labour are betraying those who supported them in the July election
• Three independent MPs who were newly elected in July: Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed
• Diane Abbott, who has served as the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987

Emily Atkinson
Live page editor

Image source, Reuters

Keir Starmer's speech to the Trades Union Congress wrapped with a promise to build a fairer, more prosperous and dynamic Britain.

It won't be easy, the PM warned time and again. To "fix the foundations" of our economy, to achieve the required stability and growth, the government will have to make "difficult decisions", he said.

One such decision, no doubt, is the cut to the winter fuel allowance, which will see millions of pensioners losing out on the annual payment of up to £300.

The plans have faced vehement opposition from certain quarters of the Labour Party and trade union movement over the past few days - but the timbre of Starmer's speech suggests he's holding firm.

The denouement arrives this afternoon with a debate and vote on the plans in the Commons, with all eyes on the number of Labour MPs plotting to rebel or abstain.

We'll be following events in Parliament live here later. Stay tuned.

Pension rise unlikely to cover loss of winter fuel paymentpublished at 12:08 British Summer Time 10 September

12:08 BST 10 September

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

The winter fuel payment is blunt and simple at present – universal for pensioners, and tax-free. That means many receive it who readily admit not needing it.

But various methods of means-testing bring their complications.

The government is finding that opposition to its preferred policy centres on the group with income just above the pension credit threshold who will miss out on the payment.

Calculations also show that a basic taxpaying pensioner's rise in the state pension next April is unlikely to compensate for what they will lose in the winter fuel payment, when inflation is taken into account.

Expect to hear some of these arguments to be aired in the debate.

Image source, Getty Images

Here's a look back at some of the key things Sir Keir Starmer said during his address to the Trades Union Congress conference.

• The prime minister began by briefly addressing the anti-immigration protests in August, saying he was happy to be back in Brighton which showed there is no place for "division and violence" on our streets
• He referenced the £22bn "black hole" in public finances, adding that this was beyond Labour's "worst fears"
• His government owes the people a stable economy which requires it to fix its foundations, he said
• He blamed the Conservative Party for putting Britain in this mess, adding that he would need to take difficult decisions. "I owe you that candour," he says
• He ended his speech by telling the TUC he will build a more prosperous, dynamic and fair country, and says Labour will "reject the snake oil of the easy answer"

We've just heard some questions now from the conference floor.

One question comes from David, who works in the health sector. He says that investment into British industry is the lowest in the G7 and asks how the government will ensure that Britain gets good quality jobs.

Starmer says that a lack of investment has been one of the major failings of the last government.

He says that investors have told him that the chaos of the last 14 years, "the chopping and changing of prime ministers", is what has stopped them investing.

Starmer reiterates that he wants to see growth across the country, not just in some areas.

Another question comes from Alan, who pushes the prime minister on Labour's decision not to repeal the controversial two child benefit cap. Alan asks what action the government will take to alleviate the child poverty caused by this cap.

Starmer says that he has had to take difficult decisions, but that does not diminish his "absolute determination" to fight child poverty.

The issue is about more than one adjustment in benefits, he says, and requires new policy in housing, health, education and more.

Image source, Reuters

After momentarily knocking off his microphone, Starmer ends his speech to the TUC by saying he will build a more prosperous, dynamic and fairer country.

"We will keep to the cause of change, reject the snake oil of the easy answer," he tells the crowd.

The audience gives Starmer a standing ovation.

"I make no apology for the decisions we've had to take to change the country," Starmer says.

He criticises the Conservatives for their record in government that has left the UK with flatlining productivity and struggling public services, saying he "won't take lectures from the Tories or other when this government tries to undo the work they've done".

Starmer adds that this government will not risk its mandate for economic stability, and that they will be forced to take difficult decisions to put the country on the right track. "I owe you that candour," he says.

Image source, Reuters

The prime minister goes on, saying that he owes the working people of this country the respect of economic stability, and that includes not being reckless with their money.

To do that, "we must go deep into the marrow of our institutions," Starmer says.

To deliver growth, the government needs to rewrite the rules and fix the foundations of the economy, he says.

Starmer tells the TUC conference "the job of rebuilding begins".

He says it wont be easy, and that the Conservative Party knew it would be this hard - which is why they called the election early.

He says even in Labour's "worst fears" he did not think the situation would be this bad, referring to the £22bn black hole.

Image source, Reuters

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer begins by thanking the Trades Union Congress.

He says it's a pleasure to be in Brighton, a city of "sanctuary and solidarity" which showed there's no place for "division or violence" on our streets, in reference to the counter-protests after this summer's riots.

Sir Keir Starmer is up on stage to address the TUC conference.

You will be able follow along by pressing watch live at the top of the page, and we will bring you the key lines here.

Image source, PA Media

We've heard strong criticism from trade unions about Starmer's plan to cut back the winter fuel payment.

The Labour Party grew out of the trade union movement in the early 1900s but over the last century that relationship has weakened.

But the party is still affiliated with 11 unions, many Labour MPs have union links, and unions provide significant funding to the party.

During the recent general election campaign, Labour received £2.4m in donations from trade unions.

But that's far less than the party got during the 2015, 2017 and 2019 elections.

Trade unions might matter less to the Labour than 100 years ago, but for financial and symbolic reasons, their opposition is something Starmer may struggle to ignore.

• Read more about the history of the Labour Party and trade unions.

Image source, PA Media

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has called on the government not to rule out "extra help for pensioners who are right at that cliff edge" ahead of today's vote in the Commons.

Speaking to the BBC, Andy Burnham says he sees the case for reforming the winter fuel payment, but asked the government not to rule out a higher threshold or a taper for the payment, instead of the proposed cut.

"Because our experience in Greater Manchester is that pensioners are often reluctant to apply for the pension credit," Burnham says.

'It's going to be very difficult for MPs today," the former health secretary adds.

The task of persuading the public is only just beginningpublished at 10:30 British Summer Time 10 September

10:30 BST 10 September

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Spoiler alert: the government is going to win this afternoon’s vote. The winter fuel allowance will be means-tested this winter.

That’s just a mathematical inevitability when 404 of 650 MPs are Labour.

But the question of how the government wins remains significant, not just for the politics of this issue but to understand the broader political situation facing this novice government.

There is noticeably more optimism in the government’s ranks this morning that wavering Labour MPs are moving their way. The expectation is that very few if any Labour MPs will go so far as to vote against the government. The focus of Sir Keir Starmer’s whips is now on squeezing the number of abstentions.

Several Labour MPs are crediting Rachel Reeves for assuaging some of her colleagues' doubts in a meeting of the parliamentary Labour Party last night. There is also praise for Sir Alan Campbell, the chief whip, who spoke before the chancellor, emphasising the importance of sticking together as a team.

That’s the parliamentary dynamic. But it’s one thing for the government to persuade their own colleagues. It’s another to persuade the public. That task is only just beginning.

Image source, UK Parliament

The chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ageing and Older People says she will be abstaining in today's vote on withdrawing winter fuel payments.

Rachael Maskell, a Labour MP, says she "wants to work with her party to find the mitigation necessary to keep the cold from older people" and is calling for a delay of the regulation.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme if the cut begins as proposed this autumn, measures to mitigate the impact on the elderly and consequently the NHS will be necessary.

One million pensioners slightly above the threshold are considered "fuel poor", she adds.

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been defending the government's winter fuel plans on BBC Breakfast.

He says energy bills are £100 lower than in previous years and that state pensions are £900 higher this winter, which he says will offset some of the loss due to the cut.

Reynolds acknowledges that this decision comes "from a place you wouldn't want to be", and blames the "black hole in the public finances".

"I know this is a difficult day and we're doing something here that ideally we wouldn't have to do… but it is about making sure we've got responsibility and stability at the heart of government," he says.