Campaign and petition email responses

Pension triple lock

Under the current devolved settlement, the State Pension remains a reserved matter for the UK Government.

The SNP is fighting for an adequate State Pension to ensure dignity and fairness in retirement.

The SNP believes that an adequate State Pension is essential to ensuring dignity and fairness in retirement. It is not right that the UK devotes a smaller percentage of its GDP to State Pensions and pensioner benefits than most other advanced economies.

The SNP have repeatedly called on the UK Government to establish an Independent Savings and Pension Commission to ensure pension policies are fit for purpose and reflect the demographic needs of different parts of the UK. 

The Tory Government’s decision to break its triple lock promise is a betrayal and an unacceptable attack on pensioners’ incomes. 

The SNP manifesto clearly commits us to stand up for pensioners against any attempts to remove the triple lock on the State Pension. Unlike the Tories, we will not be breaking our manifesto promise. 

The SNP is absolutely clear that the UK Government must ensure that the triple Llck is reinstated in April for state pensions. 

The SNP in Westminster has repeatedly raised the unfairness that pensioners face, especially in the context of the Tory-made cost-of-living crisis and has continuously called on the UK Government to reinstate the state pension triple lock and to adequately support pensioners.

During the most recent SNP Opposition Day debate the SNP put forward a motion that called on the UK Government to increase benefits in line with inflation and protect the pensions triple lock.

The SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP has recently raised this with the Prime Minister directly saying: “In May, the Prime Minister told this Chamber: “I can reassure the House that next year…benefits will be uprated by this September’s consumer prices index…the triple lock will apply to the state pension” But last week he repeatedly refused to say whether he would keep to a promise that he made only five months ago. People do not need to hear any more spin about compassionate conservatism; they just need a straight answer to a simple question—will he keep his promise and lift benefits and pensions in line with inflation?” (2 Nov 2022)

The SNP Pensions and Intergenerational Spokesperson Alan Brown MP asked the former Pensions Minister for a “guarantee that the triple lock will not be sacrificed once more, trapping pensioners in poverty just to pay for Tory tax giveaways” (11 July 2022)

Time and time again we have seen this Tory Westminster Government short-change pensioners by scrapping the state pension triple lock, cutting Pension Credit for mixed-age couples, short-changing WASPI women, freezing the hard-earned State Pension of pensioners living overseas, and scrapping free TV licences for over-75s.

The only way to ensure dignity and fairness in retirement, is with the full powers of independence.