Sign Barbara's letter to Iain Duncan Smith

Dear Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions The changes you are making to the State Pension Age in the Pensions Bill will mean that half a million women will have to wait over a year longer for their State Pension. After concerns were raised by MPs from all political parties at the Second Reading, you promised to come forward with some “transitional arrangements” to help those unfairly hit by these changes. However, in the Bill Committee, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs voted against Labour’s amendments which would have made the Pensions Bill fairer. Thousands of people affected by these proposals are worried about how they will cope with the changes your Government is making to the age they can get their State Pension. When will you bring forward your proposed ‘transitional arrangements’ to help those unfairly hit by the Pensions Bill? If your Government will not abandon these unfair plans, will you promise to make sure those ‘transitional arrangements’ pass these three fairness tests? 1. Women and men should be treated equally; women shouldn’t be harder hit. 2. Nobody should have to wait longer than one year extra for their pension. 3. Those affected should be given sufficient notice to enable them to plan their retirement. Yours, Barbara Bates

Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has promised to bring forward “transitional arrangements” to help those unfairly hit by this Government’s plans to increase the State Pension Age.

But despite this promise, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs voted AGAINST Labour’s amendments which would have made the Pensions Bill fairer.

That’s why Barbara has written this letter to Iain Duncan Smith – to ask him to bring forward his transitional arrangements, and let us see whether they offer a fair deal to those affected by the State Pension changes.

The more people who sign the letter, the stronger our message to Iain Duncan Smith will be. Will you sign Barbara’s letter too?


We'll publish the names of the people who sign the letter, but we'll keep your email address and any other information private.