Jeremy Hunt commits Tories to Triple Lock

[Lottowyn]

He has pledged the Conservatives to this if they win a General Election on Kuenssberg programme this morning.
So I imagine that pensioners will be looking for Labour to follow suit.

 

[1finny]

Destroying the economy in advance and having a laugh behind the scenes
And
Yes, Labour will follow suit

 

[proctors_perm]

I wouldn’t mind it, if it was more means tested

 

[NYboro]

I won't be looking to Labour to follow suit.

 

[AcklamAngel]

I wouldn’t mind it, if it was more means tested

If everyone has paid in to the system and accumulated the amount of contributory years they should be entitled to the full pension. Surely that is a means test.

 

[Colgates_shaving_foam]

I won't be looking to Labour to follow suit.

They have to though. Otherwise they lose the pensioner vote and not enough younger people vote to make up for it unfortunately.

 

[Cardiffdaffs]

The selfish pensioner vote maybe not the complete pensioner vote.

 

[Colgates_shaving_foam]

The selfish pensioner vote maybe not the complete pensioner vote.

I wouldn't dare gamble with that demographic, far too many of the ones I know are terrifyingly selfish. Very much pull the ladder up after themselves.

 

[Cardiffdaffs]

I wouldn't dare gamble with that demographic, far too many of the ones I know are terrifyingly selfish. Very much pull the ladder up after themselves.

I guess the older you get the less liberal your views get in general and definitely the pensioner vote can be based financially rather than for the future I would guess. Generalisation I know but an important lobby all the same.

I would rather they look at tax bands rather than the triple lock to be honest.

 

[JackG]

If everyone has paid in to the system and accumulated the amount of contributory years they should be entitled to the full pension. Surely that is a means test.

That's an eligibility test but it's not a means test. A means test assesses your resources against needs.

 

[ThePrisoner]

That's an eligibility test but it's not a means test. A means test assesses your resources against needs.

Would cost a fortune to means test millions of people and then do it again every year.

 

[NYboro]

They have to though. Otherwise they lose the pensioner vote and not enough younger people vote to make up for it unfortunately.

I am a pensioner; they will not lose my vote.

 

[thewanderer]

Would cost a fortune to means test millions of people and then do it again every year.

How would it? We already do this every year.

 

[JackG]

Would cost a fortune to means test millions of people and then do it again every year.

Agreed. That's one of the reasons benefits like winter fuel payments, pensioner bus passes etc aren't means-tested.

 

[ThePrisoner]

How would it? We already do this every year.

In what way are state pensions means tested?

 

[JackG]

How would it? We already do this every year.

Depends on the 'means' we're testing. We do it for income, up to a point, via HMRC. We also do wealth assessments for social care but that would be very expensive to carry out on a broader scale.

 

[Lightweight]

I wouldn't dare gamble with that demographic, far too many of the ones I know are terrifyingly selfish. Very much pull the ladder up after themselves.

Not sure what you mean by pulling the ladder up after themselves with the triple lock? If we don’t increase the pension by this each year the pension will be smaller for each year it is not implemented. ( this is why the doctors are asking for 35% pay increase to take their pay back to where it should be in part.) therefor people who are 20 plus years of state pension age will receive a state pension much worse.

It’s a separate debate for the mean’s testing as I believe this should be implemented but would need to look at the long term impact on this as potentially someone could work to 55, blow their private pension by 67 and still be eligible for the state pension so might not give the desired effect.

 

[TheLodger]

Pensioners are just as concerned about the NHS, if not more as they are triple lock. The Tories have destroyed the NHS.

 

[ThePrisoner]

Depends on the 'means' we're testing. We do it for income, up to a point, via HMRC. We also do wealth assessments for social care but that would be very expensive to carry out on a broader scale.

Income is assessed for tax purposes, including pension. That is not means testing. Means testing is assessing if you are entitled to a pension payment in the first place, not taxing it.

 

[Colgates_shaving_foam]

Not sure what you mean by pulling the ladder up after themselves with the triple lock? If we don’t increase the pension by this each year the pension will be smaller for each year it is not implemented. ( this is why the doctors are asking for 35% pay increase to take their pay back to where it should be in part.) therefor people who are 20 plus years of state pension age will receive a state pension much worse.

It’s a separate debate for the mean’s testing as I believe this should be implemented but would need to look at the long term impact on this as potentially someone could work to 55, blow their private pension by 67 and still be eligible for the state pension so might not give the desired effect.

The pull up the ladder remark was just used to describe the general character of some, and I stress some, of the people in that demographic in terms of their selfishness.

Of course there are selfish people of all ages.