Labor won't raise pension age, says Rachel Reeves

Her comments come after previous accusations that she does not understand how the state pension works. Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters

Labour will not raise the state pension age if it wins the next general election, Rachel Reeves has said.

The state pension age is already scheduled to rise from 66 to 67 in 2028 , and then to 68 by the mid-2040s amid an aging population.

But Ms Reeves, the shadow chancellor, said there was no “justification” for raising the threshold, despite warnings that It may have to be raised to 70 by 2040 to balance government finances.

In a telephone conversation with LBC radio, she said: “To further increase the retirement age you need to see an increase in life expectancy, and unfortunately at the moment it is going backwards, but also healthy life expectancy, and unfortunately at the moment she's going backwards. this too is now coming back.

“So I don’t think there is any justification for further raising the retirement age.”

Earlier this year, Ms Reeves was accused of not knowing how the state pension works following a row with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on social media.

Mr Hunt said his Labor Party colleague was «fomenting panic» » after she warned the government's cuts to national insurance would lead to less money for both the state pension and the NHS.

Ms Reeves claimed in a post on X: previously Twitter that NICs fund pensions and healthcare, only for users of the platform to point out that it is a «common misconception» that NICs are ring-fenced for social security schemes. provision.

Relations with Muslim voters 'frayed'

During the same phone call, Ms Reeves admitted that the relationship between her party and Muslim voters had «soured» after many Labor members left local elections last week because of his position on the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

“We agree. We want to restore relationships with the Muslim community that we know have broken down,” she said.

“This is important work that we will undertake under the leadership of Keir Starmer and David Lammy. We want to restore that relationship so they can vote for the Labor Party again.»

Labor lost control of Oldham Council in Greater Manchester, where a quarter of the population is Muslim, despite claiming major victories in other parts of the country, amid a backlash over Sir Keir Starmer's initial refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza.

He also lost two councilors in Rochdale, an area with a similarly high Muslim population, to George Galloway's Workers' Party of Britain.

Mr Galloway, who calls himself «George of Gaza», was highly critical of Sir's position Keir over the conflict, who fielded candidates on pro-Palestinian lists in a bid to attract disillusioned Labor voters.

George Galloway, leader of the Workers' Party of Great Britain, achieved success when his party won two Labor council seats in Rochdale. Photo: Leon Neil/Getty Images Europe

The Shadow Chancellor also recently welcomed the Garrick Club's decision to admit women members for the first time in its history.

After women were denied entry into the exclusive club for more than 190 years, it was reported that Garrick held a vote and about 60 percent voted in favor of changing the policy.

Garrick has faced growing pressure to change his admissions policy following the resignations of several of its members, including Simon Case, head of the Civil Service, and Richard Moore, head of MI6.

“It is important that all clubs, all establishments welcome men and women,” Ms Reeves said.

“I believe private clubs should be open to men and women, so well done for the Garrick Club to catch up.”