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Campaigning pensioners say first manifesto breaches are simply the start of many

The Scottish Pensioners’ Forum, the campaigning organisation for older people in Scotland, have today hit out at Westminster for their blatant manifesto breach on the triple lock pension.

Rose Jackson, SPF Chair argued

“The triple lock is a safeguard for many pensioners allowing them to keep their heads above water as inflation costs continued to rise. This blatant manifesto breach is only the start. As we’ve seen over the past 24 hours you break one promise, more are sure to follow.”

The UK already has one of the lowest state pensions in the western world and as well as this has old and new pensions systems, which range from as little as £90 per week to £179.60 per week, meaning many older people, mainly women and low paid workers, who are reliant on state pensions as their only means of income are worse off than their retired counterparts.

Even at its highest, the basic state pension sits well below the UK’s own poverty level and the Scottish Pensioners’ Forum feel that this larger increase would have been the perfect opportunity to put state pensions on a par with more comparable countries.

“The myth surrounding the gold plated pension is simply that. There are more than 2 million pensioners across the UK, 150,000 in Scotland, living in poverty and this latest announcement means it will only get worse”

The threat to the triple lock has been looming for the past several years however continued promises from Westminster, coupled with a strong manifesto pledge, meant that it was protected - or so it seemed.

“ The threat to the triple lock under this Westminster administration has been making the headlines for years and so this temporary suspension is just an excuse to test the waters. This supposed sticking plaster mentality is being touted as a consequence of the pandemic - it’s lies pure and simple”

The Scottish Pensioners Forum hope to work with the NPC and other older people’s campaigning organisations across the UK to challenge this latest threat to the state pension.

Rose stated

“This change to the triple lock system not only affects those who have retired but also pensioners of the future. For example, those set to retire over the next few years could lose out on thousands of pounds over their retirement cycle. We can’t let it be forgotten that this is an attack on younger workers’ futures too.”

September 2021