ELECTION SPECIAL: THE LEADERS
It is a general truth that the older you are, the more likely you are to vote. Politicians know that very well, which is why all three party leaders have contributed these exclusive articles to Saga Magazine. Each is written in the hope that you will agree that his party offers the best deal for older people.
There is an unspoken assumption here that what brings older voters out on polling day is the promise of security and dignity in old age. Many older people worry more about their children or grandchildren than about themselves, but that is a thought that politicians do not seem to have grasped. That would soon change if the young were as conscientious as their grandparents about voting. But for now, it could be the grey vote that determines who will be Prime Minister after 4 July.
To find out about other candidates, see whocanivotefor.co.uk
Iowe so much to my parents. They also gave me, my brother and sister a happy, loving childhood. As a pharmacist and a GP, they also taught me the value of hard work and the rewards that come from serving your community. Ultimately, they were my inspiration. Now they are in their seventies, it’s good to see them able to enjoy life at a gentler pace, with more time to do the things they love.
I have huge respect for pensioners who have worked all their lives and I passionately believe they should enjoy their retirement with the dignity and security they deserve.
My party, the Conservatives, have consistently been on pensioners’ side. The last Labour government put up the weekly state pension by a derisory 75p in one year, and raided pensions to the tune of £118 billion.
In very difficult fiscal circumstances, the Conservatives made the decision to prioritise pensioners after the 2010 election. We introduced the ground-breaking triple lock, which ensures pensions rise each year in line with whichever is highest out of inflation, earnings or 2.5%. That triple lock has meant the state pension has risen by £3,700 since 2010 in cash terms and we’ve pulled 220,000 pensioners out of poverty.
In recent years, the triple lock has helped to cushion the shocks of the pandemic, and rising energy bills that followed the war in Ukraine, with the state pension rising by £900 this year. On current forecasts, the state pension will rise by £430 next April – and by around £1,700 a year by the end of the Parliament.
And we’ve provided winter fuel payments, free eye tests, NHS prescriptions and free bus passes because pensioners deserve that comfort.
Now we will go further. We will make sure that there will always be a buffer between the state pension and income tax. A new age-related allowance for pensioners will mean that both the state pension and pensioners’ tax-free allowan
