WORKERS and pensions campaigners will join forces today to expose Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s “not-so-secret plan to attack” state pensions.

Activists from the Unite union with gather with National Pensioners Convention (NPC) members at the latter organisation’s annual meet-up in Blackpool to condemn government plans to bring forward a rise in the state pension age to 68.

Behind in the opinon polls, Mr Sunak’s administration recently announced that its decision on when to enact the change had been postponed until after the next general election, due next year. 

Blackpool has the lowest healthy life expectancy in Britain — 55.3 years for women and 53.7 years for men. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “I’m in no doubt that Rishi Sunak and co are hell-bent on raising the state pension age if they win the next general election.

“In a country as wealthy as ours, we can afford to retire with dignity.”

According to the United Nations, Britain has plunged from seventh to 29th in the global life expectancy rankings since the 1950s.

NPC head Jan Shortt blasted this “staggering government failure,” adding: “It makes a nonsense of any attempt to push back the retirement age further.”