{"id":118715,"date":"2025-11-05T05:17:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T05:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/118715\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T05:17:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T05:17:12","slug":"nigel-farage-shows-scottish-independence-only-way-to-protect-pensioners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/118715\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigel Farage shows Scottish independence ‘only way to protect pensioners’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Reform UK<\/a> leader Farage refused to provide any certainty to pensioners during a keynote speech on Monday, saying that no-one could currently “project on pensions or thresholds”.\n<\/p>\n

\n This followed on from deputy leader\u00a0Richard Tice confirming that when it came to the triple lock “everything\u2019s up for review”.\n<\/p>\n

\n The triple lock guarantees that the state pension will rise at the same rate as inflation, average wages or 2.5% \u2013 whichever is highest.\n<\/p>\n

\n Farage also threatened cuts in support for the most vulnerable when he said he would implement \u201cthe biggest benefit cuts you\u2019ve probably ever heard any government do.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n READ MORE: No 10 accidentally leaks internal Huntingdon train stabbing emails<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n SNP Kirsty Blackman has warned that further cuts would have a devastating impact on Scotland\u2019s pensioners who are currently tackling a “Westminster<\/a>-made” cost of living crisis.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWestminster is again lining up to pick the pockets of pensioners,” she said.\n<\/p>\n

\n Kirsty Blackman (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n

\n “Keir Starmer<\/a> came into office and his first act was to cut the Winter Fuel Payment\u00a0for pensioners. It is becoming crystal clear that one of Nigel Farage\u2019s first acts, if he comes to power, will be scrapping the triple lock. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s under Starmer right now or with Farage in the future, Westminster governments are a real threat to Scottish pensioners and their pensions.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n “It is worth remembering and repeating that Westminster governments have left the UK with one of the lowest state pensions in the OECD. That dire economic reality has been deepened by the disaster of Brexit and its impact on the public finances – and now the architect of that Brexit disaster Nigel Farage is coming back to impose more damage on pensioners and the most vulnerable.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe only way to stop Westminster imposing further cuts and to protect our pensioners is through a fresh start with independence.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n READ MORE: Alexander Dennis asked Scottish Government for help with UK ministers<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n In a speech in London, Farage abandoned billions of pounds worth of tax pledges but vowed welfare cuts and a huge dip in public spending if he gets into power.\n<\/p>\n

\n He claimed economic turmoil would force a General Election in 2027 as he moaned that Brexit opportunities had been “squandered”.\n<\/p>\n

\n As well as refusing to commit to the triple lock, he suggested the minimum wage should be lowered for young workers and doubled down on his plan to create a scheme to help wealthy overseas tycoons avoid taxes.\n<\/p>\n

\n He said: “There’s an argument the minimum wage is too high for younger workers. Particularly given that we’ve lowered the level at which NIC (National Insurance contributions) is paid to \u00a35000 a year.\n<\/p>\n

\n “So do one or the other. Either lift the cap at which NIC is due, or lower the minimum wage for lower workers. But you know what? I’d say this to the Chancellor – do something.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Farage said he would go ahead with creating a Britannia Card, which would see the super-rich from overseas pay \u00a3250,000 to avoid tax on overseas earnings and inheritance tax.\n<\/p>\n

\n Reform’s manifesto last year committed the party to tax cuts worth around a third of the NHS budget, including raising the personal allowance to \u00a320,000, introducing a \u00a3100,000 tax-free allowance for companies and exempting some high street firms from business<\/a> rates.\n<\/p>\n

\n At the time, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said the plans, along with \u00a350 billion of spending commitments and \u00a3150 billion of cuts, were “problematic” and cost far more than Reform claimed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reform UK leader Farage refused to provide any certainty to pensioners during a keynote speech on Monday, saying…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[138,246,111,139,69,244,245],"class_list":{"0":"post-118715","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-finance","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz","13":"tag-personal-finance","14":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}