More than one in 20 households in Hampshire are estimated to be in fuel poverty, new figures show.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer defended the Government's decision to axe winter fuel payments, as Kemi Badenoch urged him to "change course" to tackle energy costs.

However, speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir described the opposition leader as a "climate defeatist", saying the Government's priority was to "put our finances back in order after the last government lost control".

New local figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero show 8.4% of households in Hampshire were estimated to be in fuel poverty in 2023 – the equivalent of 52,153 homes in the area.

A household is considered to be in fuel poverty if their home has a poor energy efficiency rating of band D or below and their disposable income after housing and fuel costs is below the poverty line.

Changes to this metric are currently being consulted on as the Government reviews its Fuel Poverty Sustainable Warmth strategy.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition said the current figures are seen as an underestimate.

The statistics show the West Midlands (16.7%) and Yorkshire and The Humber (14.7%) had the highest rate of households in fuel poverty in 2023.

Meanwhile, London (9.3%), the South East (9.7%) and the South West (9.7%) had the lowest rate.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said the "postcode lottery" is influenced by many factors, including the type of houses common in areas, regional differences in energy costs, and the number of energy efficiency improvements delivered.

He said: "The Government's promised Warm Homes Plan needs to ensure that we examine the data and adopt a 'worst first' approach to tackling fuel poverty – looking at the areas and households most in need of help to be prioritised for energy efficiency upgrades."

He raised concerns over recent reports suggesting the Chancellor is now looking to make cuts to Labour's manifesto commitment to double spending efforts to upgrade homes, adding it would have "long-term consequences".

"Helping people improve the energy efficiency of their homes is one of the central ways the Government can help households in fuel poverty and bring down energy bills for good," he said.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: "The energy shocks of recent years have shown the need to go further and faster to upgrade British homes, making them warmer and more efficient, while bringing down bills.

"Up to 300,000 households will benefit from upgrades through our Warm Homes Plan this year, rolling out measures like insulation, double glazing, solar and heat pumps.

"Last year’s initial settlement of £3.4bn was a first step – and puts us on a pathway to fixing leaky homes and saving families money."