Exclusive: Union Boss Slams Reform's Richard Tice Over Plan To Slash Pensions

Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, speaks during the Reform party's annual conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.(AP Photo/Thomas Krych)A trade union boss has hit out at Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice after he outlined plans to slash public sector pensions.Tice speculated on how long the government can go on offering so-called “defined benefit pensions” to state workers as the party looks to slash public spending if it wins the next election.Those pensions provide a guaranteed level of income, based on their final salary, to retired public sector employees after they stop working.The terms tend to be more generous than most modern-day private sector pensions, which are based on how much a worker pays into them during their career.Speaking to Politico, Tice said: “How long can we carry on offering defined benefit pensions to all public sector workers?“That is a much, much bigger issue that is not properly discussed in Westminster, in the media and so on. All [these issues], they’re all related. They’re all important, and they all fit into a jigsaw.”Asked what might replace defined benefit pensions for public sector workers, Tice replied: “That’s where patience is a virtue. These are such big issues — you don’t answer them in a day, a week, frankly, or a month.”But Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union which represents senior civil servants, condemned Tice.He told HuffPost UK that scrapping defined benefit pensions will make it even harder to attract and retain public sector workers. Penman said: “The public sector already has a pay crisis. There are hundreds of thousands of vacancies in the NHS and care sectors and a retention crisis in teaching.“In the civil service – which is the lowest payer in the public sector – it can’t compete to attract and retain the key skills it needs for the future.“Ending defined benefit schemes will only make this worse, and at a time when the costs of these schemes is already coming down as a result of the reforms introduced a decade ago.“There are also no quick fixes when it comes to pensions, with financial commitments already locked in for millions of public sector workers.Any government needs to set out a vision for the public services it wants to deliver, and crucially, a plan for how to get there. “Reforming public services takes investment in people, skills and technology. A race to the bottom on pensions will not solve the crisis we face in our public services – instead, it will only make them worse.”Tice’s comments came as Reform leader Nigel Farage was accused of planning a return to austerity.Farage will make a major speech on Monday in which he will say public spending must come down if a Reform government is to make good on its previous pledge to cut taxes.Related...Union Boss Condemns Richard Tice's 'Nonsensical' Plan To Stuff Civil Service With Reform SupportersRichard Tice Snaps At Trevor Phillips As Presenter Pokes Holes In Reform's Immigration PoliciesRichard Tice Collides With Sky Presenter Over Farage's Views On Russia In Car Crash Interview

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