Labour most trusted to protect pensioners

Poll a major setback for May after social care fiasco

Almost twice as many people trust Labour more than the Conservatives to protect the interests of pensioners, according to an exclusive poll for The Independent. The finding is a huge setback for Theresa May after Labour closed the gap in the polls. It suggests a backlash against her plans to reform social care funding, end winter fuel allowances for better-off pensioners and scrap the “triple lock” under which the state pension rises by at least 2.5 per cent a year. ORB found that only one in four people named the Tories as the party they trust to protect pensioners’ interests, while 44 per cent choose Labour and 6 per cent the Lib Dems. The poll was taken after Ms May's dramatic U-turn over the Tory manifesto “dementia tax” plan.