The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been urged not to scrap the Triple Lock and instead focus on reducing welfare spending targeting state pensioners. A Birmingham pensioner wrote to The Telegraph newspaper to speak out against calls to abolish the Triple Lock.
The retiree stated: "It is perverse that we are having a debate about abandoning the triple lock when there is such outrageous waste in welfare spending. The British state pension is among the lowest in Europe. This modest sum goes to people who have worked and paid taxes in Britain for decades. At the same time, we have a situation in which many people are gaming the welfare system, choosing not to work and having their benefits indexed each year. This is what should be addressed."
Mixed Reactions from Pensioners
A second pensioner commented: "The triple lock is a very nice idea, but try getting those terms from a commercial or mutual life assurance company. It is just a bribe to pensioners – of whom I am one – to be paid for by younger generations. Politicians should get real, do the sums and control inflation."
Age UK Calls for Retention
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, argued that the triple lock should be retained into the next parliament. She said it has helped some of the poorest pensioners. "Going forward, we need a national debate to determine the purpose and appropriate value of the state pension as, at present, it is set too low to provide those reliant on it with a decent standard of living throughout their later lives," she said.
DWP Response
A DWP spokesperson stated: "Supporting pensioners is a priority, and our commitment to the triple lock for the rest of this parliament means millions of pensioners will see their yearly state pension rise by up to £2,100." The spokesperson added that the pensions commission "is already examining how we can ensure secure retirements for tomorrow's pensioners and for those that have not reached state pension age but need extra support."
Another retiree remarked: "John Whitehead makes the case for removing the triple lock. I wonder if he lives on less than £10,000 a year. I suggest Mr Whitehead takes a moment to think about those who are less fortunate than he appears to be. Until this country’s state pension resembles those of most of the rest of Europe, the triple lock should remain."
