Pretty disappointing https://t.co/MxBdHEwnuz pic.twitter.com/e1f0UtgHoM

— Henry Tapper (@henryhtapper) May 25, 2024

This is not a good look. The Labour party has yet to appoint a Shadow Pensions Minister following the recent resignation of Gill Furniss (for personal reasons).

Rachel Reeves is looking for pensions to fuel the Growth Agenda but she can’t control that agenda from the Treasury, she needs people getting down and dirty with the people who manage the £3 trillion invested for our retirement.

There are people who can do the job within the parliamentary party – most notably Stephen Timms, there are people in the Lords who could do the job (Bryn Davies and Jeannie Drake) and there are those in industry who could be elevated to the upper house to step up from shadow to actual pension minister (Gregg McClymont).

Sadly, Hilary Salt is otherwise committed

Right person – wrong party

I simply don’t understand why Labour is unable to have a pension spokesperson at this crucial junction. Maybe they were waiting for Liz Kendall (Shadow SOS at DWP) to get back from illness.

Hasnt Liz Kendall been on sick leave since then? Might just be waiting for her return. More likely to be appointing an actual minister now.

— Prospect Pension (@ProspectPension) May 25, 2024

I think she’s recovering from hip surgery (Angela Eagle stood in for her at DWP questions). There is already a trade union pension person sitting in the Lords and ready to serve! (But Bryn would try to bring back SERPS which would be far too radical 😉 )

— Prospect Pension (@ProspectPension) May 25, 2024

I’m pleased to see she is now back and speaking to Trevor Phillips about the triple lock this (Sunday) morning

.@TrevorPTweets: “Are you going to keep the triple lock on pensions?”@leicesterliz: “Yes.”#TrevorPhillips https://t.co/fhIHlpTGAF

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/FC6VRN9
VMJ

— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 26, 2024

But we need more than high level comment on the triple lock. We want to know some nitty-gritty, the stuff that people need to make sense of all the “pension” saving that they’re doing.  And the pension industry wants more than a promise that their will be a general review of pensions, the other side of a general election (what we’re getting now).

In short we  need the kind of manifesto pledges on pensions that allow us to plan for the future.  Labour is simply not delivering,

It’s not like the Trade Unions don’t care; they supply a good percentage of the member nominated trustees still populating trustee boards, they are the power behind CDC through the CWU and Unite Unions and collectivism is in their blood.

What is wrong with the parliamentary party? Where is the organisation within the wider Labour party to take the brilliant ideas of Chris Sier, Andy Tarrant, Con Keating and Terry Pullinger forward?

I am not a member of the Labour party but I’d be happy to join forces with them to promote a collective agenda against the prevailing pessimism of the past fourteen years.

So come on Labour , shape up your ideas and (if you haven’t got a better plan) contact me at henry@agewage.com – whoever you are!