Lib Dem Tim Farron MP: "I'm a proud patriot, but I am no nationalist...You can tell the difference. "Patriots love their country. Nationalists hate their neighbours. I am a patriot." He says he's ashamed racists have tried to steal the flag. Farron hits out at the "poison of nationalism".

Very much agree with this - defections in themselves don’t change a lot, but they are a strong signal of the relative health of the ‘ceding’ party and the ‘receiving party’!

Reminds me of this gag-

Average earnings up 4.7% in latest ONS figures - this is likely to drive the 'triple lock' increase next April. New state pension will be less than £1 per week under the income tax threshold in 2026, and will exceed it in 2027.

Tweaking NI thresholds to make employing part time workers vastly more expensive is one of the craziest things a party of labour could possibly do. Single mums, full time students, all the workers who efficiently fill gaps, punished.

Few things make me feel as nuts these days as having conversations with friends in aid about how global humanitarian aid has effectively been destroyed - which is going to kill millions, and is already killing them - then shifting back to normal discourse, where basically no one talks about it.

My column this week for This is Money responds to a reader who used ChatGPT to answer a question about pensions and IHT. The answer is 'kind of' correct, but the reader had drawn the wrong conclusion! www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensio...

Looks like an additional round of ministerial announcements - mostly ministers of state - has just landed: www.gov.uk/government/n...

Hope you had your mobile phone with you @torstenbell.bsky.social …!

Great that Radio 4 Moneybox and BBC Breakfast are continuing to raise awareness of unclaimed Home Responsibilities Protection!

If you do find your name, go here to file to get your money! www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com

Pensions Minister Torsten Bell has always been one to watch for swift promotion ….

Timeline cleanse

Can the UK pension system adapt to an ageing population? In Episode 6, I talk with former Pensions Minister @stevewebb1.bsky.social about: 🕰️ Future of the State Pension & Triple Lock 👥 Retirement for today's workers 🏠 Housing costs for future pensioners 💔 Widowhood 🎧 www.lcp.com/en/podcasts/...

Who’s talking PENSIONS?! Please share the starter pack and encourage more debate here! @stevewebb1.bsky.social @sarabenwell.bsky.social @stephawthorne.bsky.social @henrytapper.bsky.social @marymcd.bsky.social @daviesofbrixton.bsky.social @josephinecumbo.bsky.social @prospectpension.bsky.social

Reform will have to reselect in Croydon, as their initial candidate for Mayor had been dead for 6 months when they selected her, Inside Croydon report Being dead is one way to pass the social media vetting but was likely to get noticed eventually insidecroydon.com/2025/08/27/f...

Imagine having to explain a headline that says “Taliban ‘ready and willing’ to work with Nigel Farage” to a time-traveller from, say, 2011.

One of the nice things about writing a weekly column answering reader questions is that you often learn something new. This week, a reader who deferred her state pension, backdated her claim 12 months to get a lump sum, and got an unexpected HMRC demand for tax for last year...

Seeing this on the news last night and just thinking: really, well done, you've bought the hammer down hardest on the thing the country most needs, just congratulations to everyone involved.

The worst thing about racist Robert Jenrick’s pretence that his racism is justified to protect his daughters from men from ‘ backwards’ countries is that 97% of women who contacted Rape Crisis said they knew the person who raped them. 43% of girls questioned in a national survey

Regarding getting extra revenue from IHT, the govt may want to pause before reducing the ‘gifting from surplus income’ exemption. In future, people may convert pension into regular income to reduce IHT, but crucially this generates higher *income tax* now, easing short-term fiscal pressures!

For someone facing a potentially long stay in a care home there is always a fear for them and their family that they will run out of money and possible have to move late in life. An 'immediate needs annuity' is one solution - my column this week explains the pros and cons:

Hi @stephenkb.bsky.social I enjoy your contributions on BlueSky, but wondered about this line. Today, most PC recipients are on the old state pension system, but the new system is designed to reduce PC numbers. DWP project *falling* caseloads every year to 2030. (I know you're talking longer term)

🎙️ New podcast series! In 'Beyond Curious with LCP' my guests and I will explore how changing demographic trends are reshaping our lives. We'll discuss impacts on pensions, healthcare, workplaces and the economy. 🎧 Listen here: www.lcp.com/en/podcasts/... #Longevity #Demographics #AgeingPopulation

I'm looking for some recent evidence on the political allegiances of public sector workers in the UK (needn't be bang up to date) - could anyone point me towards a published source please? Thanks. @luketryl.bsky.social @markpackuk.bsky.social @robfordmancs.bsky.social wondered if you might know?

Everything about this viral tweet is wrong. No: the government hasn’t raided the National Insurance Fund. No: the surplus can’t be used for anything you like, without loading our children with debt/taxes. Here’s why. 🧵

It would seem that HMRC are as slow to sort out tax for those drawing their pots in chunks as they are to refund the "Low earners pension payment" (as this delayed repayment will be known).

LCP publishes tips for successful large scheme onboarding to dashboards incm.pub/4fafr3T

Always interesting to see the questions people send in! Retired reader has income under £35k so will get Winter Fuel Payment - except if he takes a lump from his pension to replace his car! My thoughts on his options here: www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensio...

A number of residents hand-delivered letters to Thornbury Town Hall this morning expressing concern for the people, and especially the children, of Gaza. I read them all this afternoon and found them incredibly moving. We must stop the violence, get aid in, and build a lasting peace.

Exciting times in UK pensions - join the BlueSky conversation! @torstenbell.bsky.social @marymcd.bsky.social @josephinecumbo.bsky.social @henrytapper.bsky.social @stevewebb1.bsky.social @jonstapleton.bsky.social @ianbeestin.bsky.social @daviesofbrixton.bsky.social @glescabrighton.bsky.social

IHT on farmers has had all the attention, but IHT on pensions will affect more people and raise far more money for the Govt. But this week HMRC decided that Executors will have to engage with pension companies, beneficiaries and HMRC to sort it all out - a nightmare! My thoughts for the Times here:

Great to see @martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com and team promoting this. The Government has basically given up on finding these ‘mothers missing millions’, so the rest of us will have to step up by raising awareness.

HMRC has made some changes to its plans for bringing pensions within inheritance tax estates from 2027 - welcomed by scheme administrators but adds more burden to estate executors. Good news for DB schemes that death in service benefits no longer in scope www.ft.com/content/ec85...

Off this morning to the launch of the revived ‘Pensions Commission’. Good choice of Baroness Jeannie Drake to lead it, accompanied by Sir Ian Cheshire (former CEO of Kingfisher) and Bath University’s highly respected Nick Pearce @iprnickp.bsky.social . I wish them well in their work!

My thoughts for the Telegraph today on why we need to do more to help younger people not end up as renters in retirement- including looking at controversial ideas such as early access to pension pots for deposits… www.telegraph.co.uk/money/proper...

My plan to create the perfect garden workspace for maximum writing concentration has found its fatal flaw

Please consider signing this petition, which proposes an increase in funding and improvement in care for people with Parkinson’s. It needs to reach 100000 signatures and then it will be discussed in parliament

I’ll be on BBC Radio 4’s Money Box tomorrow at 3pm, talking to #SteveWebb about women and pensions. We’ll be looking at why women get lower pensions, how the system works, and what you can do to improve your retirement prospects. #MoneyBox #BBCRadio4 @stevewebb1.bsky.social @radio4.bsky.social

State Pension age rises are forcing later retirements but younger workers are failing to adjust New research from Dr Ricky Kanabar from our Department of Social & Policy Sciences www.bath.ac.uk/announcement...

Interesting reader question - wants £15k for a camper van and travel and is aged 55+. NB first thought was a loan, which suggests people aren't seeing their pension as a 'cash machine'. Wants to know if it's possible to take £15k tax free at this stage: www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensio...

The government has been accused of abandoning parents and carers as it downgrades the amount it will reimburse them for underpaid pensions ⬇️

Quite a shocker, buried in DWP's annual report yesterday - DWP now think only about 8% of mothers with errors on their NI record will come forward compared with 90% a year ago. As a result DWP will only spend around £30m of the £1 billion plus they had set aside. They've basically given up:

Hi @martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com a pensions issue has come up which I think would lend itself to working together on a campaign - if you're interested, do drop me an email (email address in profile)

Good to see the Governor of the Bank of England today saying that he opposes the Government's plans to 'mandate' or force DC pension schemes to invest in line with the government's objectives. It's quite a 'nuclear' intervention for someone in his position to directly criticise govt. proposals!

A job vacancy here for anyone who works in academic social research and would be interested in a secondment within government at DWP (there's a Captcha check before the link takes you to the job spec): eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

A very special charity, Jessie May, is having a 36 hour matched funding appeal today and tomorrow. They provide ‘hospice at home’ care for children with life limiting conditions and their families and are short of vital funds. Gifts in the next 36 hours will be doubled and would be greatly valued.

This is exactly how Labour won #GE24: by focusing attention on potentially winnable seats; by being rigorous about Voter ID; by ruthlessly abandoning campaigns with insufficient promises; and by getting out the promised vote. But winning is one thing and governing is quite another.

A misconception about Labour’s majority which was pointed out today by former Minister David Gauke. Many of the MPs who make up the ‘huge’ majority have *small* majorities individually.They are very nervous about controversial votes (esp new MPs) which means the ‘landslide’ may be a bit of a mirage?