Labour was branded ‘Scrooge’ last night after it emerged more than 50,000 pensioners who tried to hang on to their winter fuel payments have been snubbed.

Tonight is the deadline to apply for pension credit, and to be eligible for the top-up that Chancellor Rachel Reeves stripped from millions in one of her first acts after taking office.

But since July, when the policy was announced, rejections of such applications have almost doubled, according to official data.

And in a double blow for vulnerable elderly people, a Mail analysis found women, and most likely widows, will be worst hit by the decision to take away the subsidy this Christmas.

Embarrassingly for Sir Keir Starmer, it comes after former Labour MP Rosie Duffield hit out at him for having a ‘problem with women’ as she resigned earlier this year.

In the four months before Ms Reeves’ announcement, 27,100 claims were rejected. But this has jumped to more than 53,000 in the four months since, amid a surge in applications.

Campaigners said those who applied and were rejected clearly felt they needed the subsidy as it is being stripped from pensioners on incomes as little as £12,000 a year.

They also raised fears that some may have struggled to fill in the massive 243-question online form, potentially leading to a wrongful rejection.

Tonight is the deadline to apply for pension credit, and to be eligible for the top-up that Chancellor Rachel Reeves (pictured) stripped from millions in one of her first acts after taking office

A Mail analysis found women, and most likely widows, will be worst hit by the decision to take away the subsidy this Christmas (file image)

Dennis Reed, director of pensioners’ campaign group Silver Voices, said: ‘This shows what absolute Scrooges ministers are this Christmas. It’s actually really difficult to get Pension Credit because the eligibility level is so low. It’s only £218 a week.

‘So all these people who have applied and been rejected, their income is probably extremely low and they felt like they could really do with extra support.’

A Government spokesman said: ‘We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,900 this parliament through our commitment to the [pensions] Triple Lock.’