[phaemon]

People are paid pensions because they're owed pensions. They've been paying into the system their entire lives, and are entitled to that money. To describe it as 'welfare' is entirely misleading.

[TazeTSchnitzel]

You could argue the same about other benefit claimants, but this is besides the point. Most of the welfare budget is spent on pensions.

[phaemon]

No, I couldn't claim that a 19 year old claiming JSA had been "paying into the system their entire lives". Do you not see the difference between someone in that situation and someone who's been paying NI for the past 50 years and is now claiming their pension?

The fact that pensions happen to be grouped in the same category as benefits is irrelevant. If they were in a separate category it would hardly change the figures.

[branchless]

Correct. And there is zero info on this in our media. Same as local council pension spending which another poster had no clue about until informed.