The Conservative Party’s unwavering support for pensioners' dignity in retirement is proven in our track record of committing to the Triple Lock.
In my North Devon constituency, the Government has directly supported 24,000 pensioners by raising pensions in line with inflation.
In contrast, Labour’s history suggests that Labour will betray pensioners, in the past increasing the weekly State Pension by a mere 75p in one year, and they stuffed pensioners by stealth as well.
Gordon Brown’s 1997 tax raid on pension companies, a tax raid that was paid for by smashing the value of your private and workplace pension by up to £118billion.
Our commitment to protecting the Triple Lock means we have uprated the State Pension by £900 a year this April alone.
When I was elected, I joined the Parliamentary Work and Pensions Select Committee, which gives me a weekly opportunity to scrutinise the Government’s work on pensions and other support for people across North Devon and the rest of the UK.
The Committee has been instrumental in this effort. This year, we scrutinised the defined benefit pension scheme, aiming to enhance the protection of individuals’ pensions and provide greater clarity for employers.
Our aim is to make pensions a topic of discussion not just in old age, but throughout one's working life, and we have made significant strides in this direction with the introduction of automatic enrolment.
Since the Conservative government introduced automatic pension enrolment in 2012, over 10.5 million people have been automatically enrolled in their workplace pension.
We all know that the sooner you start saving, the stronger your position will be once you reach retirement age, so I am confident that the current workforce will be in a far better position once they retire as a result of our work.
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We are doing this, whilst also cutting current workers' taxes by £900 this year, rewarding hard work across the country.
Other schemes that this Government has introduced include making nearly 12 million Winter Fuel Payments and Pensioner Cost of Living Payments to pensioners over winter, helping to protect the most vulnerable.
Some 11.9 million payments, worth £4.8billion, have been made to pensioners across the UK, providing vulnerable households up to £600 to help with their energy bills over the winter months.
We have also abolished the Pensions Lifetime Tax Allowance, which incentivised more experienced workers, including GPs, to stay in work for longer.
I know that my Lib Dem opposition in North Devon has said that the Conservatives look set to raid North Devon pensioners of £13.5million in just three years, and this is simply untrue.
We have delivered wide-ranging pension reforms that will boost the typical pension by £1,000 a year, helping people save for retirement.
Neither Labour nor the Liberal Democrats have a plan for pensioners and the Leader of the Opposition isn’t worried about a pension plan, when he has his own special law, the Pension Increase Scheme for Keir Starmer QC.
The Conservative Government's proven track record shows that pensioners will not be left behind.
Supporting people in their retirement will always be at the heart of any Conservative Government, whether as they are starting their working lives, or helping them through tough times.
I am dedicated to continuing this legacy and to providing a secure and confident future for all of today's and tomorrow's pensioners.
