Labour launches national State Pension
tour as Tories plan to make 36.9 million people work longer
Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions, will meet
with pensioner groups and local residents across the UK to discuss how a future
Labour government can provide dignity and security in retirement.
The Conservative Government has announced plans to extend the retirement age
from 66 to 68 from 2037, which will see 36.9 million people having to
work longer.
Analysis by
the Labour Party shows the number of people who will be affected by the Tories
increase in the State Pension age, broken down by constituency.
Tens of thousands of people in every constituency who are currently under
48 years old will be affected, including 56,547 people in Theresa May’s constituency of Maidenhead, 59,290 in David Gauke’s constituency of South West Hertsfordshire
and 61,753 in Philip Hammond’s constituency of Runnymede and
Weybridge.
Labour has rejected this increase to the State Pension Age and instead
is reviewing a flexible retirement age as part of the party’s Commission on
Pensions.
Debbie Abrahams, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said:
“Thanks to the Tories increasing the State Pension age, 36.9 million people
will be forced to work longer, at the same time that evidence
indicates life expectancy has stalled in some places and is reducing
in others.
“Conservative MPs must explain to the tens of thousands of people in their
constituencies, why the burden of Tory austerity is being pushed onto them,
while corporations and the richest individuals receive tax breaks.
“Theresa May should answer her 56,547 constituents, and the 36.9 million people across Britain,
whose hard-earned retirements are being postponed because of her
government.
“Labour will keep the State Pension age at 66 and this tour will help us
review, as part of our commitment to people powered politics, the pension
system, with a view to guaranteeing a secure and healthy retirement for the
many, not just the few.”
Ends
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