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Tony Blair Institute urges Labour to scrap the pension 'triple lock'

newsMay 1, 2026181,158

The Tony Blair Institute urged Labour to scrap the state pension 'triple lock', calling it 'unaffordable' and saying the system was 'built for a different era'. The think tank recommends replacing the triple lock with a lifespan-style pension fund and says such reform will require 'political leadership'. The report says the change would create a 'fairer, more flexible' pension system that eases pressure on government finances and better matches how people live today.

Sunderland Lollipops
@sunderlandlolly.bsky.social

Shame on Tony Blair!! NO-ONE who thinks the state pension of £12k is enough to live on will EVER have to live on that. Ever. That is only HALF the minimum wage!! Unbelievable. "Scrap triple lock, urges Tony Blair". ##UKPOLITICS

53745d ago
Sag33

He's a multi millionaire...doesn't the twat realise that many many pensioners receive only State Pension and the triple lock is vital for their survival.

Vivienne31

As a councillor I meet pensioners who have to manage on just the state pension, renting a flat which takes up most of their pension leaving nothing for bills or food. That’s why I support the triple lock. Lowest pension in Europe. And Trump’s war is driving up inflation. Blair has no clue.

Stevie 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🇵🇸28

it's affordable if you tax billionaires.

Sir_LANs-a-lot25

Anyone else getting real fuckin' tired of millionaires trying to make life shitter for the rest of us?

4017xan.bsky.social23

Is it really “unaffordable”? Or is it that the people who top up Blair’s pension want all welfare reduced and the savings diverted to themselves?

Jeanie19

Irelevant man makes irrelevant comment about an issue he knows nothing about......

Mr T13

To put the UK pension in perspective my state pension from the Netherlands after 15 years of working there is worth more than the full uk pension! We have the lowest OAP in Europe and now they want to get rid of the only guarantee that it will at least keep pace with inflation.

Karen Z13

The rich are always willing to let us live on less. #eattherich

flyfella.bsky.social12

Blair is flying kites for right-wing nutjobs, as well as being a ‘peace envoy’ in Israel-that went well-he has a privately funded wanktank which has pushed some really dodgy neoliberal bullshit. He’s very close to Starmer.

Barry10

Stick this bloke in a high rise for a month living off nothing but a state pension and let’s see his vision after that. Twat

Lynne #TaxTheRich #WelfareNotWarfare #MakeLabourHistory9

Blair, a man who lives in the lap of luxury telling the poor to accept more poverty!! Such a selfish, greedy and truly evil man

Lynne Gray8

Says the #WarCriminal sucking up to #Israeli #genocidal enablers and being rewarded with millions. Most people prefer integrity and moral fibre.

Westerns UK8

The State Pension is crap, one of the lowest in the developed world. It needs to be doubled and to ensure all Pensioners receive the full amount plus the triple lock. Until then we need to EAT THE RICH and that includes Tony Blair

Marc Woodhurst7

Everyone else “tax Tony Blair”…

Janet7

This Tony Blair? Wonder how he's coping on earning so little each year! 😡 (This if course, does not include his other financial earnings /income). He's positively brassic poor thing!

jimspriggs65.bsky.social7

UK pensions have risen in recent years due to the triple lock, sure, but they are still disgracefully low compared to the rest of northern Europe. And it's not enough to live on. That's the bit the media seems to miss. Not all pensioners have pensions like former MPs - perhaps Blair doesn't know?

SteveWhiteraven7

Says the ex PM with 100k pension from Parliament and claims Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) of £115,000 per year for office and staff. So reduce his pension to £230 a week, payable at 67 years old, same as the rest of us.

Wilf Thompson6

Who is Tony Blair? How anyone can combine his name with the word Think in the same sentence needs putting out of their misery. War mongering parasite.

cps10001.bsky.social5

Indeed. He's just another callous millionaire. This is supposed to be a G7 country, the world's 5th largest economy and yet has the lowest pension in Western Europe. The triple lock is affordable and is a political choice.

Barry Howard 🔶5

The UK state pension is among the least generous in Europe, with a lower replacement rate (under 25% of working income) compared to countries like Italy (76%) or France. […] the UK pension offers little financial comfort compared to top European systems. www.almondfinancial.co.uk/pension-brea...

chelsam.bsky.social5

Tony Blair has never been a true Labour man, Tony Blair is more tory than the tories.

HotDog894

Bliar is a disgrace. Why on earth was he ever leader of Labour party I ask

Colandme (Extremist Allegedly) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿4

As we continue to fall behind Europe in nearly aspect of society and have one of the lowest state pensions there is a very rich man happy to see many pensioners live on pittance.

Stewart Macdonald4

Lost all respect to him. Money definitely changes people.

grahamxroy.bsky.social4

Scrap the unaffordable pensions triple lock days the ( nearly ) billionaire Tony Blair. The party that does will incur the wrath of everyone over the age of 50 and they all vote.

Charles C Cadmus3

UK state pensioners are amongst the lowest paid in Europe. Approximately 62% of recipients rely upon their state pensioners are as their sole income

The Fifth Dentist3

Blair has really turned out to be irredeemable human garbage, hasn't he?

Robin Layfield (he/they) 💚 🌈 ✊🏽3

Money for war, subsidies for fossil fuels, no money for anyone else

claude-oneshot.bsky.social3

He used the labour party as the vehicle to get what he wanted, now he's just another arsehole who should be in prison for war crimes.

aldo3

Why is it always the wealthy looking to take from the poor or working class (sometimes one in the same) 😡😡

Jon Beeson3

The old age pension is becoming unaffordable due to an aging population, but this is the wrong approach. We should rejoin the EU, then review and harmonise all existing property and wealth taxes (IHT, CGT and council tax) to get rid of loopholes before we worry about impoverishing OAPs.

Richard3

Has anyone read the article or are you raging because of Blair’s involvement? All parties agree the Triple lock needs to be looked at. What are the ideas contained in that plan?

Dan.G 🇬🇧🇪🇺3

There is an arguement to be had on this. But that will be on the day that those who have compulsary work pensions start to retire (not even a 15 years old policy now, so not quite yet) Sadly, on that day, it will be an arguement about scrapping the state pension (because they are bastards)...

Tanga3

They think that by the time people reach pension age they will have paid off a mortgage, have all the furniture & household items they need for ever, not need to spend money on petrol & clothes for work & not want to have any social life, eat out or have even cheap holidays. Ha! 😡

Jonty3

I would retain the 2.5% minimum increase. Potentially, you could remove one of the other two elements, but not both. I would be inclined to retain the link to inflation. So a double lock instead. But all that said, if we have sound finances, the triple lock should be sustainable.

Ian.🇦🇺🇬🇧🦅3

I suppose sucking Murdoch's dick , might make Rupert like him again.

David William Sheridan2

Thatcher was the first PM in my memory to drive the UK off a cliff. Then Blair came along and drove it off another cliff. Then Cameron, off the Brexit cliff. Then that blithering buffoon, Boris Johnson: cliff. Then the lettuce woman… So many fucking cliffs, lads.

Orsafix Lastname2

Mine's frozen so it'll never go up. 5th largest economy in the world but the worst pension in the west. Failing health system and infrastructure. Where does the money go?

Pumpkin #FBPE 🇬🇧🇪🇺 2

Why do the wealthy begrudge the OAP? On top of a politician gold plated pension paid by us he is also entitiled to a State Pension. If he is so worried about the UK economy no doubt he gives his pension back to the satte.

dave161256.bsky.social2

It also shows a huge level of economic ignorance. All the money spent by the government on pensions and benefits is spent supporting businesses and jobs. #MMT

Election_Every2

No surprise here. Blair was involved in BAE Saudi Bridery and money Laundering scam. He is now working with Trump’s fake "Board of Peace."

Graham Davis2

The problem with pensions os that there are a large number of boomers who don’t rely in it or even need it. But for those who have no workplace pension or other assets the state pension is inadequate and must at least be protected.

Joe Bacon2

Phony Tony continuing being Phony Tony

Sunderland Lollipops2

People forget elderly needs like medical/dental costs, carers, taxis when disabled to gp/hospital, glasses, hearing aids, huge heating bills for conditions that make a warm home 24/7 a necessity, paying handymen to do all jobs they can no longer do, pricey ready meals as too ill to cook etc etc

ᏕᎥᎷᎧᏁ ᎶᎥᏰᏕᎧᏁ2

He can go to hell.

Ken Spearpoint2

Blair is a neoliberal multi-millionaire. He has nothing of value to say in behalf of ordinary people, he speaks for his class, the elite.

Joan Hunter Dunn2

Supported hm for years, now done. First Trump's Billionaires' Club of despots, now this. Bugger off.

Gxro68832

He needs to fuck off to America and fuckin stay there

Nezaroo. I'm not an ism or an ist.2

I think he must have stood too close to Thatcher some time and caught something awful, maybe even got part of her soul when she died. The witch was certainly evil enough.👻

Anthony 💙🇺🇳🇪🇺🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿2

The triple lock hasn't gone anywhere near doing its job yet but there will eventually come a time when it has. It's all regressive thinking anyway. With the threats rushing towards us ALL benefits need to be reviewed with the state pension reimagined as a supplement to #UBI for age-related costs.

wolfeeboy666.bsky.social2

We don't need that scumbag war criminal advising on anything whatsoever.

Prem Sikka
@premnsikka.bsky.social

Tony Blair’s thinktank urges Labour to scrap ‘unaffordable’ pension triple lock. 2m pensioners live in poverty. Full post-2016 state pension is received by 35% of retirees, less than 50% of minimum wage. Silence on taxing the rich, redistribution, ending corporate welfare.

23245d ago
The BFG24

Blair showing what real socialists have known for years he is a horrible right-wing Tory at heart just like Starmer the once democratic socialist Labour Party is dead

IrishWoke22

UK has one of the LOWEST pensions in Europe Of course that means nothing to multi millionaires like Blair

James 🏳️‍🌈14

In any sane society this man would be at The Hague for war crimes.

Janice Pearson13

In fairness he was always on the right of centre wasn’t he? It was Brown’s influence as chancellor that bought in so many good initiatives during the Blair years.

seano32.bsky.social12

I read multi-millionaire Malcolm Offord claimed £35k+ expenses for 6 months. That's around 3 x annual State Pensions. We know what the 'establishment' priorities are, and its not for ordinary people. Tax the rich.

AlanB11

He's no better than Johnson. Let the bodies pile high. Poverty kills, ergo, he and his ilk believe the old should just die off. Evil man.

Helen #FBPE #NHS #ClimateCrisis 🇪🇺🇬🇧🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈💙8

How was Tony Blair ever a Labour politician? He moved the party to Tory central ground!😠

Grahame Walker 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿8

Tony Blair was an MP he was also PM. He’s neither now. So keep your think tank to yourself.

Helen7

Tony Blair supports the peace board with the war mongering.

lyndaspeake.bsky.social7

The most infuriating thing about the people who call for ending the triple lock is their arrogance. I doubt that even one of them has ever tried to live in what can only be described as penury for some. The triple lock is not unaffordable, it’s down to how ‘we‘ choose to spend.

Sam Smith7

Starmer's lot tax my pension, when the wages it is based on were already taxed. And it's such a small pension. Yet his lot won't tax the rich, just us poor old pensioners. For peanuts.

Gem&Molly ⓥ6

Do you mean multi millionaire Tony Blair? Warmonger Tony Blair, willing to spend a fortune on conflicts which are nothing to do with us?

Alan6

Blair Johnson Starmer.... We can do better.

iniseoghain.bsky.social5

The multi millionaire, Tony Blair, who will never have to worry about the weekly rate of his state pension, saying this? Well, I never.

DaveTheDrunk5

Would that be multi millionaire Tony Blair?

Joe Hislop5

Tony Blair’s net worth is estimated to be £60 million.

Dan (this/that) 🇪🇺🇵🇹📷4

As if there aren't enough reasons for voters to turn away from Labour.

ratcinque4

We have an absolute pittance for a pension. Fairer taxation!

Tom Hickmore4

Fuck off Tony, you rich bastard.

demas751.bsky.social4

Greedy man stealing from the weak again.

Kevin Theobald4

Send him to The Hague.

john0634.bsky.social4

How easy it is for Blair to comment from the luxury of one of his properties. Like so many politicians completely out of touch with the majority of voters.

Looking out to sea.4

So, Blair wants to make Labour even more unfavourable! Could a worldwide detested popularist be controlling him? Being as Blair, during his term as PM, was pushing for Britain to be ever more Americanised it's not that surprising.

upyrs.bsky.social3

You mean the multi millionaire Socialist Tony Blair ? That Tony Blair? Well who'd 'av' thought it ? It's a strange thing that I imagined as you got older ,yr heart/mind/soul became less bitter & evil. What gives with these once Labour champions turning on their own? Sad days I'm afraid.

Everton Jeff3

Proof if further proof were needed that this bastard masquerading as a labour politician was in fact an acolyte of thatcher, wouldn’t surprise me if reeves was seriously considering this as she & Starmer are no better than

Firstname Lastname #FuckTrump3

Disgusting. The king of neoliberal rot.

It’s me, Claire 💚3

He shouldn’t worry, they’re killing us off earlier by making us work longer.

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist 3

Cannot stand to even look at that man anymore. I was a strong Labour voter from early 1970s until he proceeded to rip the heart and soul out of the Party and set the tone for consistent distancing from true Labour values.

Clive3

Blair can fuck right off snd count his millions he has no idea how pensioners live in the U.K.

Sile O' Suileabhain 🕊️☮️ ☘️✌🏾3

He’s as vile as they come, a Tory through and through. He’s also going after vulnerable people with disabilities like anxiety, depression, ADHD etc. which will obviously make them destitute. Only a low life would do that. They are starkly targeted in this new paper he has written.

Joe3

Dear Tony Fuck off. Sincerely Anyone who isn’t a millionaire

John✊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 YES!2

I wonder what Blair will say when the time comes to meet his maker? He's responsible for so much horror.

PA2

Yep that'll encourage pensioners to get out there and start earning £millions 🤦 After a wealth tax is introduced and working. It's just unaffordable to have so many millionaires, and billionaires should simply not exist in our society.

Gillian Rodgers2

Tory Blair thru and thru.

Story of bas Monde2

Just showing what a sad piece of work he is

Ursula Hanna2

My elderly neighbour visited me once & for a while she chatted about local gossip & how my daughter was doing. Then out of the blue she started talking about Jesus & being saved etc. She told me that Tony Blair was the literal Biblical AntiChrist. I’m starting to wonder if she was right🤔

Avril Jones 📷2

Was that a ‘different era’ when governments didn’t try to kill off pensioners by starving and freezing them? An era when a lifetime of work was respected and the elderly were cared for? An era when the UK was not governed by sadists?

buffythehat.bsky.social2

I have long thought of Blair as a neocon with no current relevance

Julia2

Shameful - he is partly responsible for continuing Thatcher's legacy and thus our current dire state.

Proud Lefty CW💚🏳️‍🌈🇬🇧🇮🇷🎧2

Tony Blair sits on Trump's Fascist led, so called, Board of Peace. Labour should not be consulting the Tony Blair Institute about our Pension. It is like consulting Israel's defence department about the human rights of Palastinians. It will end in millions of Pensioners falling into poverty. 🤬

Roland Smith
@rolandmcs.bsky.social

Tony Blair once again doing his level best to neuter any quite fond non-Iraq memories of his government that we may have had.

27345d ago
Sanakism31

To be fair, the headline started off really well: "Tony Blair: Outdated and unaffordable". Then it ruined it by having more words.

David Collier13

UK state pensions are some of the worst in Europe. They are not unaffordable. It’s about priorities.

Laurence Riveira 12

Tony Blair net well potentially over 70 million. It's always people who no longer need the state pension calling for reform. And there's a pattern. No uni tuition fees for Blair and his generation. Fees for everyone else's children. Every time he speaks he tarnishes new labours achievements.

LondonDiscuss7

The Tony Blair Institute has turned into a magic eight-ball that just throws out George Osborne's fever dreams.

James Steel7

But he gets to enjoy his state pension and other benefits from being a former PM is fine?

Rootless Cosmopolitan6

Sadly not all pensioners are funded by dodgy far right US billionaires and Central Asian autocrats.

Captain Haddock6

And what exactly does Tonty think we will replace it with?

Stephanie McKenzie6

Someone said yesterday that he’s bitter about how people turned on him over Iraq and has been radicalised. Maybe if he’d engaged in some self reflection instead? 🙄

KS_19684

Their ideas are rather odd. Apparently they want more flexibility so eg ppl who are ill can take it earlier or you can take money out if you have money problems younger BUT the quid pro quo is that you only get equivalent 20 years of pension. The guy on R4 today did not elaborate...

Sylvia Booth4

Just because he doesn’t need his state pension doesn’t mean others don’t.

Paul Cowling4

That would be the same Tony Blair claiming £115000 every year as an ex Prime Minister.

Gildy Stern4

I was only pondering yesterday, if you'd told me in 2005 that 21 years later it could be argued that Blair was still, probably, the best PM of the 21st Century, I'd have been stunned

Jak3

1997 to 2000, fantastic, the most positive I have ever been about politics and the future Everything past that, OMFG

Alex Sowden3

Outdated and unaffordable Tony Blair must go. bsky.app/profile/rola...

Dame Rainbow Warrior3

Tony Blair can F.O! It was his government that introduced student fees!

Finite3

Goes to show how much influence Gordon Brown had

Jeff2

Can't we put him in a home?

Niemöller's Hot Takes2

State pension to be replaced with triple-locked consulting gigs with shady Saudi entities for all over 65s

Somerset Golden Retrievers2

He has gone full cvnt for sure 😡

Phil Leighton2

Delete everything after unaffordable and he is spot on.

3 sources