MPunderfire onpensions
Stirling’s MP Stephen Kerr must “come clean”about the state pension age rise, say the SNP.
Nationalists want to know what he knew about his party’s plans for pension changes.
In an announcement last week, the UK Government detailed plans to increase to 68 by 2039 the age at which a person will receive a state pension.
Trossachs and Teith SNP councillor, Evelyn Tweed said:“This increase in the age a person will receive their state pension will disproportionately affect the lowest earners who depend on a state pension to retire with dignity after decades of working hard and putting into the system.
“People who voted in the General Election last month would have been unaware of these changes and Stirling’s newly-elected Tory MP must come clean about what he knew.
“Did he know about this dramatic increase before the election? Is he happy to support this policy despite it discriminating against low income earners? Would he support any further increase to the age with which the State Pension is received?
“People across Stirling deserve better than having the wool pulled over their eyes from a Tory party that spent the General Election campaign falsely promising not to attack people’s pensions.”
Tory MP Mr Kerr said: “Councillor Tweed has misunderstood the way that Government works.
“It would be entirely unreasonable for me to have known about this before the election as the report was an independent one and no announcement had been made.
“I don’t think it is appropriate to politicise something as important as the future of the old age pension.
“Pensions were designed to work for 14 years past retirement when life expectancy was not as long as it is today.
“The SNP has no plan for pensions, they seem happy to bankrupt future generations on the back of cheap political point scoring.“