Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Pensions Richard Harrington has retained his seat in the shock General Election result.

The MP for Watford received 26,731 votes and a 45.6% share – a 2.2% share increase. Watford’s Labour candidate, Chris Ostrowski, received 24,639 votes and a 42% share.

Harrington was appointed as pensions minister in July 2016, sparking industry concern that ‘pensions’ had been demoted from a Secretary of State to Under-Secretary role within government.

In his first 11 months in the pensions role, Harrington declared auto-enrolment as an area of particular focus, as well as stating that Waspi women’s demands would not be met.

In a Pensions Age interview in December 2016, Harrington said: “I am keen to work with the pensions industry to ensure we deliver a system in which people can trust that their hard-earned savings are protected in the emerging master trust pension sector, which millions of people now depend on through automatic enrolment.”

Harrington stated that he is fully aware that people are concerned with the affordability of defined benefit schemes. “I recognise the importance of retaining confidence in the sector, which is why I plan to explore the challenges facing DB schemes in more depth,” he added.

Harrington became the MP for Watford in 2010. Previously, he was the newly-created Under Secretary of State for Syrian Refugees, holding the position from September 2015 until 16 July 2016.

The industry now awaits whether Harrington will retain his role as pensions minister once a new government is formed.

Pensions Age is currently awaiting comment from Harrington on his election win last night.

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