Letters to the editor

Conservatives not listening to pensioners

Sir, - As the unnecessary general election approaches, I note that the usual mob of SNP bashers are filling your letters pages.

Let them reflect on this. Theresa May started this election campaign with a 24-point lead over Labour.

It is down to five. May I suggest that this is almost entirely down to her policy of demanding that a homewner’s property in England be taken into fiscal account to pay for any long-term care needs, coupled with the removal of the triple-lock on pensions.

Home owning used to be a cornerstone of Tory policy.

Indeed, Margaret Thatcher enabled council house tenants to buy their homes, thinking that it would turn them into Conservative voters.

But what is the point of spending years paying off a mortgage if there is the possibility of your children only being able to inherit a fraction of its true worth?

When I got married you could buy a modern bungalow for around £4,000.

Since then, house prices have risen astronomically. The same bungalow today would set you back north of £300,000.

How are young people going to get on the housing ladder if they cannot even count on the family home giving them a decent deposit?

The triple-lock on pensions was initiated in 2010 by David Cameron to stop pensions falling too far behind wages. Despite that we still have one of the lowest pensions in Europe: we come 21st out of 27.

So if you are a pensioner or a homeowner, voting Tory will be exactly like a turkey voting for Christmas.

Picture: Getty. Conservative leader Theresa May on the campaign trail in Derby.