Exclusive:Swinney's broken pledge to pensioners slammed as a 'petty way to do politics'

As first told in The Scotsman in September, the SNP’s benefits agency looked set to break a pledge to have paid the new Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) by November 30.

Mr Swinney said all payments would be made by St Andrew’s Day before the worst of the winter weather and added: “That is my guarantee”.

The First Minister stepped in after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the Winter Fuel Payment would be means-tested.

Mr Swinney promised nearly one million OAPs would have received their payment - but Social Security Scotland has now confirmed that target has not been met.

An insider said setting a deadline of St Andrew’s Day had been “clearly unrealistic” but the Scottish Government “wanted a date with a kilt on it”.

Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for social security Alexander Stewart MSP said: “Choosing this date sums up the SNP’s petty approach as to how they do politics.

“Rather than prioritising righting the wrongs of following Labour’s lead and axing winter fuel payments, the SNP were still looking to pick a fight with the UK Government.

“The betrayal by both Labour and the SNP governments will never be forgotten by Scotland’s pensioners who will now be appalled that the SNP set a deadline that they were never going to deliver these payments by.”

A Social Security Scotland spokeswoman said the PAWHP will support at least 880,000 pensioners with their heating bills this winter.

She added that the payment was rolled out from November “as planned”.

The First Minister said in May that the UK Labour decision to scrap the universal Winter Fuel Payment was a “complete betrayal”.

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He compared the move to Margaret Thatcher’s poll tax and Lib Dem Nick Clegg’s u-turn on tuition fees.

He went on: “The SNP Government’s winter fuel payment will be paid to Scotland’s pensioners by November 30 - St Andrew’s Day - this year.

“That means older people in Scotland will receive this crucial support before we get into the worst of the winter weather – and unlike Labour, we will never abandon this vital support for our pensioners.

“That is my guarantee.”

The benefit for pensioners is worth up to £300, depending on household make up and income.

Last year it emerged nearly 40,000 Scots missed out on the payment of a newly devolved benefit as a result of flawed information sharing between the UK and Scottish governments.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was responsible for passing client details to Social Security Scotland to allow it to distribute winter heating payments to eligible Scots.

But an error on the part of the DWP resulted in 37,000 people north of the border not being paid their entitlement.

It also delayed the devolution of the benefit to Social Security Scotland.

The Social Security Scotland spokeswoman added: “The first payments have been processed and have started to land in accounts. Payments will continue to be made throughout the winter.”