NIGEL FARAGE: If we slash the benefits bill, we CAN afford to keep this pension pledge

People don’t really need me to tell them how hard things are right now. Wages are flat, taxes are high, bills keep rising.

Latest figures showed the economy did not grow at all in January. Rising oil prices will make things even more difficult.

Meanwhile, we have a Prime Minister and Chancellor whose only solution to this crisis is to hold meaningless meetings every day.

I am acutely aware that these are worrying times, especially for retirees and those approaching retirement.

They have been paying National Insurance Contributions for 30-40 years and now they are worried that their state pension will be taken away from them.

Frankly, it is not difficult to understand why.

They see a country burdened with debt and a Labor government that is still borrowing like there is no tomorrow, just like the Conservatives are doing.

They probably see a government soon to be led by Angela Rayner or, God forbid, Ed Miliband, and they think it might only be a matter of time before these spendthrift socialists start coming in for their nest eggs.

So I will promise to maintain the triple lock here and now.

Under the reform UK government, your state pension will increase each year in line with inflation, wage increases or by 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher.

Critics will, of course, rub their hands about affordability. They say it’s too expensive and unsustainable. But what they really mean is that they would rather break their promises to retirees than make difficult decisions elsewhere.

I have a different perspective. If we are serious about financing the triple lock, we must be equally serious about getting our priorities right. This starts with cutting waste. Take a look around and you’ll see there’s plenty of it.

Look at how much we spend on migrant accommodation – £15bn in the last decade. This is true. Millions of lira are spent every day to shelter people who enter the country illegally.

Since 2010, £200 billion of taxpayers’ money has been spent on foreign aid, mostly to rich countries. It is estimated that £59bn will be spent on pointless net zero schemes in this Parliament alone.

So do we really need 120,000 more civil servants than in 2015?

Reform UK will also take a long and detailed look at defined benefit pension schemes in the public sector. These gold-plated programs were phased out in the private sector years ago and now represent the Government’s second largest financial liability.

I think they should not accept new candidates.

Above all, we plan to announce the biggest cuts in history to the welfare bill in the next few weeks.

Let me be clear: It’s about priorities. We can afford the triple lock if we want.

England made a promise to its retirees. I intend to protect him too.