Good Morning Britain guests have clashed over whether people in manual jobs should be able to retire and access their pensions earlier than office workers. Co-hosts Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway led the heated debate on the ITV programme as former manual worker Craig Phillips and author Alison Edgar weighed in.
Craig argued that the retirement age for those in blue collar jobs should be lowered to account for the physical demands, but Alison disagreed - pointing out that people have a choice of career and that white collar work is still work. It came after an independent review into the state pension age said the government should look at changing the rules to allow manual workers to access their pot early.
Tory minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe recommended an early access scheme which helps those 'who have performed physically demanding roles over many years'. Her report argued out that people are more likely to leave these roles before state pension age than other workers and have a higher likelihood of developing health problems.
