Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

State Pension

Monday 9 March 2026 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The yearly amount of the full new state pension is projected to rise by about 2,100 a year over the current Parliament.
  • Pensioner poverty has increased recently, reversing some of the progress made under the last Labour Government.
  • The triple lock commitment ensures above-inflation increases for pensioners, addressing financial security concerns.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Peter Prinsley Lab Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP wants to assess the merits of increasing the state pension rate.

Question

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the rate of state pension.

Answer from Torsten Bell

The yearly amount of the full new state pension is projected to rise by about £2,100 a year over the current Parliament. That reflects the Government's commitment to the triple lock for the duration of the Parliament. Payments of both the basic and new state pensions will increase by 4.8% in a few weeks' time, boosting pensioners' incomes by up to £575 a year.

Answered
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Q2 Peter Prinsley Lab Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
Economy Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP notes that some pensioners in his constituency live in poverty and isolation, despite the government's commitment to the triple lock.

Question

We welcome the Government's commitment to the triple lock, but some pensioners in my constituency continue to live in poverty and isolation, and are in need of food banks. What specific measures can the Government take to reduce social isolation and tackle poverty in this group of people?

Answer from Torsten Bell

I thank my hon. Friend for his question—and for the shocking news of his age. He is absolutely right to highlight both these issues. Pensioner poverty halved under the last Labour Government, but it has risen more recently. That is why it is so important that, as well as increasing the state pension, we have put in place the biggest-ever take-up campaign for pension credit and focused on the cost of essentials—most importantly, energy, where new measures will come into place in the next few weeks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not provide specific measures to reduce social isolation

How: Working With Partners, Under Review

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Q3 Edward Leigh Con Gainsborough
Defence Economy Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP questions the long-term sustainability of the state pension and refers to a paper from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggesting a smoothed earnings link for state pensions.

Question

I declare a similar interest to that of the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley). I read this weekend that if we grapple with the increase in pensions and benefits, we might be able to afford 15 new frigates. It is easy for Opposition Members to attack in-work benefits; it is more difficult to question the state pension. Has the Minister seen the paper from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that says we should consider moving to a smoothed earnings link for state pensions, which would ensure that they never fall in real terms but, in the long term, always rise with earnings? He will not give me an answer now, but perhaps he can write to me about how we are going to buttress the long-term sustainability of the state pension.

Answer from Torsten Bell

The right hon. Member is right to recognise the challenge. We have around 12 million pensioners at the moment, but that will rise to 18 million over the next 50 years. Our view is that having the triple lock drive above-inflation increases, on average, among pensioners is the right thing to do for this Parliament. That is why we set it out in our manifesto, and that is what is driving the increases in the state pension. When it comes to affording the cost of frigates, I merely point him to the fact that defence spending under this Government is higher in every year than it was in a single year under the Conservative party.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not consider the IFS paper and does not commit to writing about long-term sustainability

How: Under Review

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Q4 Mark Garnier Con Wyre Forest
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP criticizes the government for disincentivizing pension savings through various measures.

Question

Helping millions of people ensure financial security in their retirement is a cornerstone of the Minister's Department, but in the Government's first 18 months, they have disincentivised pension savings by introducing inheritance tax on pensions, removing pensions from their lifetime ISA reforms, forcing pension trustees into mandation and, most recently, introducing a cap on salary sacrifice savings incentives. Through their actions, this Government are pushing people to be more reliant on the state pension, rather than encouraging people to take control of their own financial future. Which will be the next Government U-turn: cancelling mandation, or abandoning salary sacrifice caps?

Answer from Torsten Bell

That was just a bit sad, because the U-turn that we are seeing is from the hon. Member, who declined to vote against the Pensions Schemes Bill at Second Reading and on Report. I will quote him back to himself. He told me that “the Minister”—that is me—<br/>“will be pleased to hear that there is cross-party consensus on many of the planned changes.”<br/>[Interruption.] Wait a second. He then got even more excited—back in his reasonable days, before he had been leant on by the “looney tunes” who will wander off to Reform—and told us that<br/>“we broadly support the measures in the Bill”.—[Official Report, 7 July 2025; Vol. 770, c. 722-723.]<br/>The U-turn has been done by the hon. Member, who has let himself down.

Not addressed: Does not answer the question about which measure will be abandoned next

How: Attack, Changing The Subject

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