Graduates feel exploited as "cash cows" to fund pensions due to student loan changes, MPs heard. Critics compare the "sneaky" alterations to loan terms to mis-selling scandals, with interest rates increasing debt beyond original amounts.
The IMF has advised UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to maintain spending limits, warning against caving to demands for government support. The advice, while milder than previous rebukes, urges focus on controlling welfare costs and efficiency in public services. The article questions the untouchability of pensioner benefits compared to those for younger generations and those in work.
The Tony Blair Institute has called for the state pension triple lock to be scrapped, labelling it outdated, increasingly unaffordable and too rigid. The thinktank proposes a 'lifespan fund' allowing flexible entitlement built through work, caring and study. The number of UK pensioners is projected to rise from 12.6 million today to nearly 19 million by 2070. However, Sir Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage have all committed to keeping the triple lock.
The Tony Blair Institute has urged Labour to scrap the pensions triple lock, calling it 'unaffordable' as Britain's ageing population drives up costs. The thinktank warns state pension spending will rise from 5% to 7.8% of GDP by 2070, adding £85bn annually. It proposes a pre-election pact to end the policy and replace it with a 'lifespan fund'. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the government will not drop the triple lock despite mounting financial pressure from Middle East conflict and inflation.
