Chancellor says £22bn gap in current spending budget and state pension rise meant she had to make decision on means-testing fuel payments. Early evening summary 18:20 Rachel Reeves has defended her decisions to cut the winter fuel allowance and abandon infrastructure projects as she argued the decisions taken in the early weeks of the Labour government would pave the way to a more optimistic economic future.

The Labour conference in Liverpool this week should have been a victory party, but Starmer and Rachel Reeves were put under pressure.

Rachel Reeves defended winter fuel cuts as the “right decision” and insisted pensioners most in need will still receive help. In a speech to the Labour conference that was disrupted by hecklers, the Chancellor said she would not “duck” difficult decisions.

Rachel Reeves gives speech after crowd boos winter fuel allowance debate delay - Labour delegates protest over decision to delay vote on winter fuel payments cut ahead of Reeves’ speech