THE local Labour party has criticised the Government’s plan to increase the state pension age.

They say new analysis by the House of Commons library has revealed that 7.6 million people will lose out by nearly £10,000 each.

The changes will mean that all men and women between the age of 39 and 47 will have to work a year longer before they can receive their pensions.

James Osben, chairman of Newton Abbot Constituency Labour Party, declared: ‘The Government’s sudden and unexpected announcement that they will raise the state pension qualifying age to 68 from 2037 will affect an estimated 8,800 working people and their families in Newton Abbot, Dawlish, Teignmouth and the surrounding areas.

‘Every person born between 1970 and 1978 will lose nearly £10,000 as a result of this decision.

‘It’s typical of Theresa May and her Conservatives that they introduce a change like this by the back door, right at the end of a parliamentary session, without debate in the House of Commons.

‘The Tories always find money for tax cuts for corporations and their rich friends and now have found money for a bung to the DUP. But it’s always ordinary people who pay the price in the end.’