Pensioners and the politics of perceptions September 12, 2024 The furore over winter fuel payments is driven by the false idea that pensioners are uniformly old, frail and poor. But in politics, feelings often matter as much as facts, says John Oxley This week’s tussle over the winter fuel allowance has highlighted one of the problems of our politics – how much of it [...]
‘Hard to justify’: IFS calls for Reeves to limit pension tax-free lump sum September 11, 2024 Rachel Reeves is rumoured to be considering a shake-up of pension tax reliefs in the October Budget as she seeks to address a challenging fiscal inheritance.
State pension set to rise by £460 next year amid winter fuel debate September 10, 2024 This would mean that the state pension rises to around £11,962 next year from £11,502, an increase of almost £9 per week.
No Labour MP wants to cut winter fuel payments, but our commitment to pensioners is steadfast September 9, 2024 Tomorrow’s vote on winter fuel payments will be tough, but making and explaining hard choices is what Labour was elected to do, says Dan Tomlinson Tomorrow I will be voting for something which no Labour MP came into politics to vote for: means testing the winter fuel payment. That I and hundreds of my colleagues [...]
Keir Starmer doubles down on ‘unpopular’ decision to restrict winter fuel payments September 8, 2024 "Every Labour MP was elected in on the same mandate as I was, which was to deliver the change that we need for the country," Starmer said.
Pension tax relief: Reeves warned of ‘backlash’ – but offers up roadmap for firms September 3, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has declined to rule out increasing taxes on pensions in the upcoming Budget, sparking fresh warnings over “anti-growth” policies. Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Reeves refused to “speculate about what will be in the Budget” when asked to give savers “peace of mind” over rumoured annuity levies. Despite failing to give [...]
Venture capital firm launches UK’s only fund for British pensions September 2, 2024 A venture capital firm has launched the first-ever fund devoted to helping UK pension funds invest in British start-ups and scale-ups. Future Planet Capital’s new British Co-Investment Fund (BCF) will channel pension investment into some of the UK’s fastest growing and most innovative businesses in a move that has been praised as “much-needed” by start-ups [...]
Listed firms could ‘miss out on £125bn’ by handing over pension funds to insurers August 27, 2024 A major pension scheme adviser has calcluated that listed firms with defined benefit pension funds could miss out on £125bn by making increasingly popular buy-out or buy-in deals with insurers.
FCA: Pension schemes to be rated on new traffic light system in bid to boost returns August 8, 2024 The plans will see schemes rated publicly on a range of metrics, including investment performance and service quality, rather than just focusing on costs and charges.
Reeves: UK pension funds should follow Canadian model to ‘unlock billions’ August 7, 2024 Rachel Reeves wants UK pension funds to “unlock billions” in investment and deliver for British savers by following the Canadian model.