Don't listen! UK told to drop triple lock to fund green ideas

FURIOUS campaigners told a global economic body to "keep its nose out" of British politics after it called for the triple lock to be ditched to fund green policies.

- Sam Lister

Pension spending will increase by 0.8% of national income within five years as a result of the pledge, an increasingly ageing population and high inflation.

And the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said the bill was more than it would cost to invest in decarbonising power or covering lost fuel duty revenue to boost electric vehicle use.

But the call comes just a week after victory in the Daily Express crusade with Silver Voices that demanded the Government honoured the lock. The Treasury had been considering diluting the formula.

Silver Voices yesterday blasted the Paris-based economic body for interfering.

Director Dennis Reed rapped: "The OECD needs to keep out of domestic policy issues like pensions policy.

"How dare this global organisation call for the scrapping of the triple lock when the average state pension in their own member countries stands at 63% of average earnings, double that of the UK at 29%.

"It is total hypocrisy to pick on older people to solve the UK's fiscal problems.

"The Silver Voices/Express has seen off the domestic critics of the triple lock for now - but we can do without global interference."