Commenting on Harriet Harman’s speech at the ‘Challenges for Our Age’ event organised by Age Concern and Help the Aged this morning, Andrew Harrop, the charity’s Head of Policy, said:

'Media reports of Harriet Harman’s pledge to scrap the default retirement age raised the hopes of tens of thousands of older workers that the Government would finally put an end to forced retirement legislation. These hopes have been put on hold pending another review of the current regulations as the Minister stopped short of pledging anything new in her speech this morning.

'Millions of older workers need to carry on working past state pension age to boost their savings and pension pots eroded by the recession. For them, an outright ban of forced retirement legislation can’t come soon enough.

'Older workers shouldn’t be forced to wait any longer. In the lead-up to the general election, we call on all political parties to make the abolition of the default retirement age a central part of their electoral manifestos.'