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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Jenny Willott writes: 18 months and over a Billion pounds – Lib Dem victory on Women’s State Pension Age
October 14, 2011 11:12 AM
• [Oct 13] Jenny Willott* writes: THE UK is getting older. In 1970 a person reaching 60 could expect to live a further 18 years. Last year, this had become 28 years. Advances in healthcare, living standards and technology mean that people are living longer and life expectancy is rapidly increasing.
That is why the Government took the decision to bring forward planned increases in the State Pension Age. As I've said on Lib Dem Voice before, it is absolutely right for the Government to do this. It's not a nice decision but doing nothing would risk plunging future pensioners into poverty with less and less help from the state . .
So we as Liberal Democrats must be proud of the change we have forced on this issue. As members of the Government we have the power to make, shape and influence decisions; to lobby Ministers and stand up for constituents in a way which would simply not be possible if we were outside Government watching the Tories and Labour battle it out.
Yes, a Liberal Democrat-only Government would have gone further, but for the quarter of a million women we have protected, there remain 1.1 billion reasons why Lib Dems in Government matter.
* MP for Cardiff Central
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