Stop Means Testing Pensioners and increase the State Pension

We demand the government stop means testing pensioners, that we think is a degrading and humiliating practice. We also think the state pension should be increased. We believe that for too long, our elderly have been portrayed by media as merely burdens on the NHS and the modern welfare state.

We think that the elderly should be entitled to a decent pension and a comfortable lifestyle as many will have already paid into the system for longer than the rest of the population by now. We believe any Government should have a responsibility toward our nation's elderly people.

In the Victorian era, retirement was often only an option for those who had accrued wealth. Are we regressing back to those Dickensian times?

We believe means testing is an abhorrent practice that is demeaning and intrusive.

The Government is committed to supporting current and future generations of pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement. There is no means test for the State Pension, and this Government will never introduce one.

We have made a commitment to the Triple Lock for the entirety of this Parliament which means spending on people’s State Pensions is forecast to rise by over £31 billion. Our commitment means millions of pensioners are set to see their State Pension rise by up to £1,900 a year by the end of this Parliament. Protecting the Triple Lock even in the current economic climate shows our steadfast commitment to pensioners.

Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances, the Government has had to make difficult decisions to bring the public finances back under control. This includes the decision to target the Winter Fuel Payment on low-income pensioners who need it most.

It is because this Government has taken tough but fair decisions to put the public finances on a stable footing that it has been possible to invest an extra £22.6bn in day-to-day health spending in England over this financial year and next with consequential funding increases for the Welsh and Scottish Governments. We are committed to investing in and reforming the health service so that it delivers the care that older generations in particular deserve. The new State Pension was introduced in April 2016 with the aim of providing a clearer, sustainable foundation for private saving. The full rate of £221.20 per week (2024/25) was set above the Standard Minimum Guarantee level of Pension Credit, to remove disincentives to save.