Kay Burley on State pension

I would have no problem withe triple lock going. I think the state pension should be tied to wages and nothing else

BUT

I think Pension Credit rises should tied to the rise in prices so that those at the bottom of the income range never see the the see the the amount of goods that their pension will buy change.

wonder what I shall buy this week, with the extra 25p that all the over 80yr olds got when we turned 80...

"Shall I buy an extra apple or an orange with this munificence?"

Just ordered two Bramley apples @ 69p each!
Our tree has failed to produce.

Btw, addicts will receive exactly the same as any other person deemed not fit for work, no more and no less.

Statistically it’s the 18-25 age group who have increased the unemployment figures.

Many of these would have been seriously impacted by COVID.

Our youngest son spent his last year of college in lockdown, including his 18th birthday. These young people spent months, possibly even years sat in their bedrooms online, online studying, online socialising and online gaming. It had a huge and detrimental effect on their mental health, ranging from anxiety about leaving the house, extremely low self confidence, deep seated depression.

Some even developed serious mental health condition, including Bi-polar disorder, and Personality Disorders.

We have serious “gaps” in this country in our mental health services, especially for those under 18, and 19-25.

Often GPs dismiss young people as “putting things on” or exaggerating” their condition or symptoms.

Unless you have personal experience of young adults experiencing serious mental health issues, having psychotic episodes, attempting suicide or being neuro-diversive, frankly you have no idea.

Burley can always refuse to draw her pension or donate it to someone who is in need.

These high earners have no clue how those who are just about managing live. Many pensioners may not be in dire need but, if they lost the State Pension, they could struggle.
What does she think should be the cut-off point? £1 million pa? £20,000 pa?

It’s all so penny pinching when viewed per capita.

Putting numbers on things gives perspective.

The actual numbers are not available yet for what the triple lock might be for April 2027 but earnings growth looks around 4.3% compared to CPI of around 2.9%.

The absolute maximum post-tax increase difference that would make next year is 38p a day - which most pensioners even with a full NIC record won’t receive.

Shall I buy an extra apple or an orange with this munificence?

Iam64

I struggle with substance and alcohol dependant people get more benefits than John and Jane next door who are unemployed because their employer closed

I completely understand that, there’s lots of misnomers around addicts of all kind.

However, it’s my belief we should care for all vulnerable people. Should we refuse NHS treatment for the very obese or those who’ve smoked 50 cigarettes for 30+ years, or those who attempt suicide.

I don’t believe we should distinguish between those who “need” help and those who “deserve” help.

Anyone who is legitimately living on benefits alone, especially those without children, single people and some people with specific health conditions, and specifically care leavers, literally live from hand-to-mouth, it’s not a nice situation and the longer one is unemployed, the more difficult it is to get into work.

If, as you suggest, a couple suddenly find themselves out of work, through no fault of their own, it’s going to be a lot easier to find new work than for others with no transferable skills, recent work skills and experience and references.

Throughout our careers, DH and I, thankfully at different points in our working lives, have found ourselves out of work with very little “compensation”.

I’ve actually been out of work four times, twice due to companies going into liquidation and two compulsory redundancies. Each time I took lower paid, lesser jobs in order not to be out of work. DH took temporary work on the two occasions he found himself out of work, one redundancy and one illegal toupe situation, which ended in an employment tribunal, which he won.

We had young children and a mortgage and were “entitled” to the bare minimum under the pre Universal legacy benefits system.

Iam64

I struggle with substance and alcohol dependant people get more benefits than John and Jane next door who are unemployed because their employer closed

I think people would be horrified if they knew how much addicts receive.

Then why are the numbers increasing year after year?
Obviously I realise that the welfare state is there to help those in genuine need, and quite rightly so, but there are far too many who would be capable of work but choose not to.

It’s interesting that as far as I can see no one on here is in favour of abolishing the triple lock.
If the government went ahead with the plan, they would certainly suffer at the ballot box.

I think there are a lot of challenges in doing this. It might encourage middle income people to retire earlier, because as their private pension arrangements result in a higher pension, they will calculate the best time to leave to still maintain their state pension.

Also, people on higher incomes have contributed more in their working life through taxes, and many will feel hard done by if they receive nothing in retirement whilst those who for whatever reason have not earned so much do get a state pension - that could create a wider divide.

Something more akin to the French system might be a better option.

I’ve never forgiven her her for her ghoulish reporting on the Zeebrugger disaster. Horrible woman.
And she obviously thought she was immune from covid restrictions. Celebrating her 60th with all her friends.

I struggle with substance and alcohol dependant people get more benefits than John and Jane next door who are unemployed because their employer closed

JenniferEccles

No! It’s been muted before but I am not in favour of it at all.
Cut back on the welfare budget certainly, but target the layabouts who refuse to work, claiming something dubious excuse like ‘depression’ or ‘anxiety’
Heaven knows there are enough of them milking the welfare state for all it’s worth.
Then of course there are the billions wasted on the illegal immigrants arriving here daily on bigger and bigger boats.

As pensioners we are perfectly capable of distributing any surplus funds to help family members, maybe by paying into an ISA to help a grandchild get on the housing ladder.

I don’t trust the government to spend any money saved wisely.

Leave the triple lock alone!

I agree with most of your statement.

However I utterly disagree with your comments re people on benefits. Most people are on benefits because they have no choice, they are unwell, disabled, caring for others full time, they might have severe learning disabilities, they might be addicts.

There are definitely a few people claiming benefits to which they are not entitled, but believe me they are a very small percentage.

43% of people claiming Universal Credit are in work, many of them full time.

No! It’s been muted before but I am not in favour of it at all.
Cut back on the welfare budget certainly, but target the layabouts who refuse to work, claiming something dubious excuse like ‘depression’ or ‘anxiety’
Heaven knows there are enough of them milking the welfare state for all it’s worth.
Then of course there are the billions wasted on the illegal immigrants arriving here daily on bigger and bigger boats.

As pensioners we are perfectly capable of distributing any surplus funds to help family members, maybe by paying into an ISA to help a grandchild get on the housing ladder.

I don’t trust the government to spend any money saved wisely.

Leave the triple lock alone!

Ziplok

Who is this woman? Maybe she doesn’t need her state pension, (isn’t she the lucky one), but most of us do, even those with small work place pensions. If she’s got millions in the bank then no, she probably doesn’t need it. The vast majority of us do not fall into that category.

In that case she could/should have declined claiming it!

MT62

I wish she would keep her nose out.
She’s one of the biggest hypocrites on the planet.

I agree with you and I think it really depends on where that “line” is drawn and actually if that’s the case, surely the proportion high earners in via NI earmarked for pensions, which I’m aware isn’t ring-fenced nor personalised, should be refunded to those deemed to longer be eligible?

I, personally, don’t think state pensions should be means tested!

Good reasoned post Doodledog rather than a knee- jerk reaction.

In a stable economy here should be little difference between earnings growth and CPI (which is sometimes higher than earnings growth anyway).

It’s only the basic element of the pension which is triple locked not additional state pension (SERPS) which is only increased by CPI even if earnings growth is higher.

The most any pensioner could receive this year because earnings growth in 2025 was 1% higher than CPI was an extra £2.30 a week. After tax that is £1.84. Most would not have received that.

Are millionaire broadcasters really begrudging pensioners a rise that wouldn’t pay for a decent loaf of bread?

Are they saying that pensioners shouldn’t be protected from inflation?

I’m a bit worried as I’ve only recently retired and keep reading the well off know it alls especially in the media saying scrap the triple lock. Ok do it but don’t leave us behind that’s all I’ll say. They’re quite prepared to give money for other causes and other countries but as my old dad used to say. ‘ look after your family first’

I can't imagine that happening. I know it's the Australian system, but the mindset is different here, and we've been used to free NHS and education to secondary level, so it would be very unpopular. Pensioners already pay a lot for care if we need it - singling out pensions to be cut would be very unpopular, and when younger people realised the impact on their likely inheritance, some of their prejudices might dissipate, too.

Further, whilst most of us are fully aware that money doesn't go into a personal 'pot', it is also the case that most of us have paid 8% of our income into NI contributions that we were told decades ago would mean we would get a state pension when the time came. It would be politically ruinous to take the pension from those who'd paid in and give it to those who didn't. People have planned their retirement based on getting a SP, so removing it on the basis that people have also paid into occupational pensions or have saved would make a huge difference to their lives - there would be massive repercussions for anyone trying to do that, particularly as the raise in women's pension age is still a hot potato.

I think the triple lock will go, but I also think that before it does there will be a sweetener of some sort - maybe a link to wages, so the pension sits at a percentage of the average wage.

Exactly, she can defer claiming it indefinitely if she feels so strongly that she doesn’t need it. I’ve listened to the interview and feel she is yet another one with plenty of money trying to dictate how the rest should get by.

I get heartily sick of the amount of press coverage which seems to blame the countries financial woes on the title lock pension. It seems pensioners are a soft target and we are all living the high life on our wonderfully huge pensions.

Well I need mine and they better not stop the triple lock either. I suppose plenty very rich people don't need it but they have probably paid thousands in tax over the years.

Burley was on BBC Politics Live saying this.

She has the option not to claim it.

The problem with any means-testing where the means test is set.

There is always a cliff edge and there is always unfairness.

It happened when government decided to means test the Winter Fuel Payment. That’s now been tweaked but is now unfair to single householders - of which there are an increasing number - once people reach SP age.

Means testing child benefit is unfair to single parents.

Who is this woman? Maybe she doesn’t need her state pension, (isn’t she the lucky one), but most of us do, even those with small work place pensions. If she’s got millions in the bank then no, she probably doesn’t need it. The vast majority of us do not fall into that category.