AJ

That’s how the state pension was sold to us . That’s why it is based on contributory years. That’s why people, like me, who worked abroad for a few years made sure they made their contributions for these years. These attempts to move the goalposts now are reprehensible.

@Fudds13 @WilliamdeLanc12 @DanielJHannan Apparently so 😡

@WilliamdeLanc12 @DanielJHannan Means testing - Will it be your total earnings throughout life, or your accumulated savings etc through living a frugal life, because 2 people could have earned the same throughout but A spaffed their cash on cars/holidays and B saved for their retirement. Should we reward A?

The language here - "raided" - is why it is so hard to reform pensions, however unaffordable they become. People imagine there is a pot of money into which they have paid, rather than present pensions being funded by present taxes.

@DanielJHannan No they don't think that at all. However, they do know that the amount of NIC they pay whilst in work correlates with the qualification for their State Pension. So there is a solid link between paying in and getting their State Pension at a given age.

@Jenny_1884 It's a benefit when it suits them

What seems odd is as they keep insisting that the State Pension is a benefit & benefits are non taxable, then if that’s the case, if you have a private pension then that shouldn’t be added to a State Pension then taxed. Either it’s a benefit or it’s not a benefit, can’t be both.

@BBCBreaking @TeresaC123 It's a question he should have asked??

"That I wasn't told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Follow live: bbc.in/4esAIHE

@MbarkCherguia At first, 2

How many TV Channels did you have as a kid?

@LibDems Says he, it's about time he resigned as well!

Labour promised to clean up our politics. Now they're just as bad as the Conservatives.

@annaroseridgway Is it hate a pensioner day today? You have a rather warped view of life I'm afraid. If you seriously wanted to talk about Pension Reform, the elephant in the room is defined benefit public sector pensions. But I note that you don't mention those

These socialists who want to end the triple lock simply don’t understand that £12,500 is only around one p&o cruise per month.

@ick_real Eunice

I'm looking for a ridiculously old-fashioned girl's name for our new born . Think great-grandma name. Very old and rare. Any suggestions asap pls?

@Heidi_Labour A major contributor to potholes are utility companies digging holes and not filling them in to the required standard. Are ouncils able to take action against them?

Shelling out at the garage to repair pothole damage is no joke - I should know. That's why we're investing record funding to fix Britain's roads, and introducing tough new standards to make sure road users see the difference. thesun.co.uk/motors/3883046…

@tomhfh Well he implemented it

By Gove he's right.

@lukerobertblack @Conservatives Id say yes!!! Over 10 years NIC qualify for it and they plan on that basis.

It’s great to hear this from @conservatives Lord Gove. The cost of the state pension has risen every year for the last eight years and while we certainly need it, we should also consider whether millionaires should be receiving the same as those on pension credit. I’d say no.

@MartinSLewis Depends what they are!

Today's Poll: When you buy brand new clothes, do you USUALLY wash them before you wear them? (requested by my colleague Liv, she does and wanted to know if this was normal, or she was extra pernickety)

@GayTory Whatever changes are made, they would need to be gradual with entry to PS DB being closed by a certain date and new DC schemes opened. People plan on the basis of what is available and you can't leave people in the lurch by making sudden changes.

Whilst I agree in principle, due to the Ponzi nature of public sector pensions the taxpayer would have a bill to pick up for existing pensioners in the short to medium term if future accruals were actually being paid into a DC fund as opposed to paying existing pensioners. We’d still have to find savings from the current budget.

@KathyParr101 That and the £trillions in liabilities building up providing gold plated public sector pensions. This NEVER gets talked about maybe because MPs are on this gravy train as well 🤔

@GayTory @KathyParr101 The only rich pensioners I see are ex public sector

They’re being taxed too much for many reasons; the idle, the wasteful public sector and, unfortunately, the triple lock. I remember the days of OAPs not having food or money for heating, but I also remember a quarter of working age adults not being sat at home twiddling their thumbs. OAPs aren’t on the poverty line now, but many working people are.

Pensioners have been deliberately singled out as scapegoats by the government. Apparently the state pension & the triple lock are 'unsustainable'. In reality, it's the non-contributory benefits, increasing exponentially and dished out to all and sundry which are unsustainable.

@KathyParr101 @GayTory The elephant in the room is public sector defined benefit pensions which are far superior to private sector defined contribution pensions, especially with very high Er contributions. Let's level the aging fields and save around £20 billion!!

@GayTory If the working age benefits for all were cut, and the public sector pensions reformed, then the triple lock could be continued.

@rayner_susannah @paullewismoney @NiallHarbison I do now 😀

@Ajouk @paullewismoney Alice and Lily are stunners! On the subject of dogs, no doubt you follow @NiallHarbison.

Which way did you vote? It was on the ballot paper! bit.ly/4thLu8s Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union and face three hour passport queues, missed flights and more expense.

@rayner_susannah @paullewismoney Life's to short.... Id rather discuss dogs. Our are Alice and Lily, Foxies... Rare these days 😀 Hello to Colin!!

@Ajouk @paullewismoney You are extremely disarming! Colin says ‘woof’ to your handsome duo.

@rayner_susannah @paullewismoney Anyway, lovely dog here's ours

@rayner_susannah @paullewismoney Im not blaming it on Brexit, it was going to be implemented anyway and the UK had major inputs into it before we left. Our difference is that I am not complaining about it as it was bound to happen as we are an external Country, just like it happens when we visit the US 🤷.