The industry and government should work together “really” quickly on pension policy as the nation urgently needs it, former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Lord David Blunkett, has said.

Speaking at the Pensions UK Annual Conference, Blunkett urged the government to “think boldly” about pension reform, describing the present moment as “the moment to shake the tree and when people need decisive policies”.

He suggested that the public wants to see boldness and audacity from political leaders, pointing to evidence of this through US President, Donald Trump, and the polling evidence showing support for Reform UK and Nigel Farage.

“They want bold, decisive policies, and they want speed,” he continued.  

He argued that, in the post-COVID-19 UK, the work has been far too slow, and not “at pace”.

“There is an inertia in the whole system, not just in government and in ministers making decisions,” Blunkett explained.

"You can’t blame the civil service if the government don’t make decisions and ministers don’t know where they want to go and what they are going to do."

Blunkett went on to say that “good ministers picking up Baroness Jeannie Drake’s Pension Commission report and Pension Policy Institute deputy director Suzy Morrissey’s work on the state pension, and moving very quickly on it, will be vital.”

He emphasised that decisive and well-informed leadership is key to addressing the challenges facing the UK’s pension system.

He also issued a warning about the risk of delays, saying it would be unfortunate if the government agreed to something new on auto-enrolment, building on the work done in 2017 by MP Jonathan Gullis’ Private Member’s Bill to extend auto-enrolment to lower earners and younger workers, only for it to be left unfinished and revisited years later before being implemented.

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