Labour launches national State Pension
tour as Tories plan to make 36.9 million people work longer
 
Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions, will meet
with pensioner groups and local residents across the UK to discuss how a future
Labour government can provide dignity and security in retirement.
 
The Conservative Government has announced plans to extend the retirement age
from 66 to 68 from 2037, which will see 36.9 million people having to
work longer.

Analysis by
the Labour Party shows the number of people who will be affected by the Tories
increase in the State Pension age, broken down by constituency.
 
Tens of thousands of people in every constituency who are currently under
48 years old will be affected, including 56,547 people in Theresa May’s constituency of Maidenhead, 59,290 in David Gauke’s constituency of South West Hertsfordshire
and 61,753 in Philip Hammond’s constituency of Runnymede and
Weybridge. 

Labour has rejected this increase to the State Pension Age and instead
is reviewing a flexible retirement age as part of the party’s Commission on
Pensions.
 
Debbie Abrahams, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said:
 
“Thanks to the Tories increasing the State Pension age, 36.9 million people
will be forced to work longer, at the same time that evidence
indicates life expectancy has stalled in some places and is reducing
in others.  
 
“Conservative MPs must explain to the tens of thousands of people in their
constituencies, why the burden of Tory austerity is being pushed onto them,
while corporations and the richest individuals receive tax breaks.  
 
“Theresa May should answer her 56,547 constituents, and the 36.9 million people across Britain,
whose hard-earned retirements are being postponed because of her
government.
 
“Labour will keep the State Pension age at 66 and this tour will help us
review, as part of our commitment to people powered politics, the pension
system, with a view to guaranteeing a secure and healthy retirement for the
many, not just the few.”
 
Ends

Labour compared costs on over 180 routes between when the
Conservatives came to power and the projected new prices that will be
implemented this January 2018.

The average commuter will now be paying £2,888 for their season
ticket, £694 more than in 2010.

New figures released today by Labour show:

·        
From
January, some commuters will be paying over £2,500 more to travel to work than
they were in 2010.

·        
The
highest increase was on a Virgin Trains season ticket between Birmingham and
London Euston which will have risen by £2,539 since 2010 and now costs £10,567.

·        
The
biggest percentage increase identified was between Thame Bridge Parkway near
Walsall and Nuneaton, where the cost of an annual season ticket will have risen
by 48 per cent since 2010.

·        
In
Theresa May’s own constituency the cost of an annual season ticket from
Maidenhead to London Paddington has risen by £736 since 2010.

Andy
McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State Transport, commenting on
today’s rail fare figures, said:

“The
Tories’ failure on our railways means passengers have faced truly staggering
fare rises, some of over £2,500, since 2010 with fares having increased twice
as much as wages.

“Commuters
have repeatedly been told that higher fares are necessary to fund investment,
but promised investment has been cancelled and essential works have been
delayed for years.

“Decisions
taken by government Ministers are making rail travel unaffordable for the many
in favour of huge profits for the few. By pegging regulated fares rises to the
Retail Price Index, the Conservatives are leaving commuters facing year on year
price hikes.

“The
truth is that our fragmented, privatised railway drives up costs and leaves
passengers paying more for less. The railways need serious reform that could be
achieved if the Tories matched Labour’s manifesto policy to extend public
ownership to passenger services, but instead Ministers are persisting with a
failed model of privatisation that is punishing passengers.”

Keir
Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union,
commenting on the Government’s latest proposals on customs arrangements, said:

“These are incoherent and
inadequate proposals designed to gloss over deep and continuing divisions
within the Cabinet.

“Businesses, trade unions and the
country need certainty about our future trading and customs arrangements. They
also need a pragmatic and considered approach that delivers the best deal for
Britain.

“Instead, the Cabinet remain split
on key issues and cannot decide between two very different but equally
unachievable options. The first proposal suggests “a new customs border with
the EU” could be introduced without disrupting trade; the second suggests a new
borderless customs partnership could somehow be agreed while Britain also signs
external trade deals.

“These fantastical and
contradictory proposals provide no guidance for negotiators or certainty for
businesses. The proposals also make it less likely that necessary transitional
arrangements will be in place by March 2019.

“Labour is clear that we need to
retain the benefits of the Customs Union and avoid a cliff-edge for the British
economy. That means committing now to strong transitional arrangements on the
same basic terms we currently enjoy – including the Single Market and the
Customs Union.”

Ends

Angela
Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to a Teach First
report on access to university, said:

“This is
yet another example of the Government’s shameful record on social mobility.

“In the
poorest postcodes in the country, just one in five young people get to
university; meanwhile, more and more pupils from private and grammar schools
are getting into higher education.

“After
their failed attempt to reintroduce grammar schools, it’s clear that the Tories
have their heads in the sand on social mobility and need to wake up to the
calamity they have created.

“By
trebling tuition fees and cutting maintenance grants, ministers have made
access to university so much harder for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

“The next Labour government will address the growing crisis
of social mobility by abolishing tuition fees and bringing back maintenance
grants to support students.”

Rebecca
Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy,
responding to the RAA announcement on Tata Steel, said:

“This
is a welcome announcement which finally puts an end to the months of
uncertainty that tens of thousands of steelworkers have faced.

“Trade
unions representing steel workers have worked tirelessly to secure workers’
futures and protect Britain’s steel industry, which people and communities
across the UK rely on. The company must ensure they continue to engage with
unions so their members get the support and guidance they need.

“Labour
has stood up for steelworkers and fought to save our steel industry. Now it is
vital that Tata Steel, supported by the Government, follows through with their
commitment to invest in their whole steel business to protect jobs and secure
the long-term future of UK steelmaking.”