Torsten Bell

Torsten Bell

Labour — Swansea West

Speaking in the House of Commons on 15 June 2026

Debate

State Pensioners: Personal Allowance

Contribution

He was not my predecessor, because I am the Pensions Minister and Gordon Brown was never a Pensions Minister. Does the hon. Gentleman know who was? Margaret Thatcher. Gordon Brown oversaw big falls in pensioner poverty. Why? Because he introduced pension credit in the early 2000s. That then drove the huge falls in pensioner poverty that we saw in the 2000s, supported by increases in private pension savings that came through during those years. So, yes, I do endorse the record of that previous Chancellor, even though he is not a predecessor of mine. Hon. Members will know that the basic and the new state pensions increased by 4.8% in April; I think it is a matter of cross-party consensus that that is a good thing. It will boost pensioner incomes by up to £575 a year. We are also protecting the poorest pensioners with a 4.8% increase in the pension credit minimum guarantee.

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