Torsten Bell – our pension minister

Another cool week for Britain’s economy

I know that those in the market absorbed the news of the growth in our economy without much reaction. Apparently the City already knew our numbers would be good and were looking ahead to warnings of 5% inflation in 2027, that and a downturn in growth in Britain. This is just like what the City was doing about 2026 in 2025.

We have written off Britain as a basket case too often, this year we have a good reason to feel as proud of our investments in the UK as in the USA. My pension is invested mainly in America, my personal investments in the UK public moneys.

The fact is that if you’d been invested in our stock market, you’d have done alright over  the past 12 months. Our GDP rivals that of USA as well.

It’s on a par with the American version except not quite so many shares are traded!

We’ve got good reason to agree with our Pensions Minister when he talks up Britain

I’ve been spending the week stalking our Pensions Minister and reposting his social media because it cheers me up! Here he is saying just what I’m feeling.

Today’s figures showed UK economic growth strengthening and GDP per capita up too.

That’s good news worth celebrating, but no cause for complacency. There’s plenty more to do – and we’re getting on with doing it. https://t.co/7sgsFAdC9G

— Torsten Bell (@TorstenBell) November 12, 2026

Do you get the feeling that this Pensions Minister is becoming a spokesperson for this Labour Government?  I do, what’s more I think that what he’s doing as “Pensions Minister” is getting people to think more constructively about pensions. When I say “constructively” , I mean more optimistically. When people think more optimistically about the economy and the noise is coming from the Pensions Minister, don’t you think that this is good for us who are involved or who at least are interested in pensions?

I think just that.

In case you missed it, here’s a second podcast that Bell did this week. This one’s not about the economy but about people’s opportunity to improve the wage they’ll get in retirement from saving into a pension.

Retirement for the many, not just the few, was one of the great wins of the 20th century. So there’s not much more important than building a pensions system today’s workers trust will be there for them too.

Great to speak to the Money & Us podcast.

https://t.co/CElugXyByE https://t.co/FgNaQL0sHn

— Torsten Bell (@TorstenBell) November 11, 2026

For many years, well even decades, we haven’t heard a politician who can speak about macro- economics at one moment and about the gender gap in our retirement wages – the next. There are many things that Torsten Bell talks about but they are coherent and consistent which is why I like having him as my Pension Minister.

We will look back on 2025 and 2026 and say these were extraordinary years for pensions. We will say they were the  time when we re understood the link between the money we have funding our retirement and the capital this country needs to grow to meet our welfare. I hope it is a time that ordinary people can consider their pots as a means to get paid a retirement wage. I hope that we will have more confidence if we’re young that we’ll have a proper state pension for many decades to come.  I hope that some 20 year olds have worked out they’ve got a good chance of living into the 22nd century!

Hat’s off to our Pensions Minister for these two podcasts and for the encouragement you’re bringing to simple souls like me!