Commenting on the £2.40 increase in the basic state pension due next April after inflation was negative in September, Lib Dem MP for Lewes, Norman Baker, said:
"An extra 34p a day will not cover the inflation rate for most pensioners who face the double whammy of mounting food and fuel costs and soaring council tax bills.
"Although RPI was negative in September, the state pension has been pegged to prices for 30 years and is now pitifully low. The urgent need is to restore the earnings link now, not wait for another Parliament.
"Many struggling families will view the threat of a benefit freeze with dread. Spreading a meagre allowance even further is going to make life even more miserable next Autumn.
"More than 2m people applied for a crisis loan to make ends meet last year and that number will only increase if benefits are squeezed."
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Norman Baker,
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East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
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Fax: (01273) 480287.
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