Political battles over pensions

Analysis
By Nick Assinder
Political Correspondent, BBC News website

Tony Blair is eager to stress the publication of the Turner report is only the beginning of the debate over the future of pensions, not the end.

Opposition parties hope to exploit divisions over Turner report

If Gordon Brown's view of this piece of work is as billed - and there is little evidence to the contrary - that may be an understatement.

The chancellor, we are led to believe, has some serious reservations over the affordability of Lord Turner's plans, notably the move to reinstate the link with earnings and abolition of the means test.

And that has already led to fears the entire issue will be kicked into the long grass.

The prime minister, however, has insisted he is not about to do that and, once again, finds he is being supported by the two opposition parties.

Michael Howard, also spotting the opportunity for mischief making, has backed the end of the means test and tried to turn it into a power test between Mr Blair and Mr Brown.

Stable economy

Speaking during his last question time as Tory leader, he urged Mr Blair to "stand up" to the chancellor and ditch the means test.

And Liberal Democrat spokesman David Laws also backed the end of the notion of a universal state pension.

Brown opposes pensions/earnings link

"The choice is between an affordable but unsustainable means-tested system of the kind favoured by Gordon Brown, versus an affordable and sustainable system as proposed by Lord Turner.

"We must now have an assurance that the Chancellor will not be allowed to single-handedly veto the emerging consensus for reform. The state pension system is not the property of a single political party, let alone a single member of one political party".

So, as with so many of the prime minister's current policies, this is being seen as a power struggle between 10 and 11 Downing Street.

Mr Brown may believe he will be prime minister by the time the pensions policy becomes a reality and he will be looking to continue presiding over a stable economy which, he fears, could be undermined by the policy.

Mr Blair, on the other hand, wants radical reform of the system to form part of his legacy.

Similarly, Mr Brown may want to delay any real decision while the prime minister may well want to push ahead as fast as he can.

In the mean time, the other parties will continue to make their own broadly pro-Turner case while also losing no opportunity to exploit the claimed divisions at the top of government.