Pensioners: Reforms after the election?

A cross-party approach to tackling Britain's pensions problem is needed, Tony Blair has said.

Speaking on Tuesday, the prime minister said he would seek to establish a policy that had support across the political divide.

But he indicated that such a move was only likely after the next general election.

Questioned by senior MPs, Blair also said that it might not be possible to achieve a consensus.

Labour MP John Denham said it was "not a coincidence" that Sir Adair Turner's pensions commission would only publish its final report after the forthcoming general election.

Denham, a former Labour welfare minister, warned against "muddling through" on pensions.

Blair said that the Sir Adair's commission was unlikely to recommend that option.

"He is likely to give us some fairly hard-edged solutions to this, and that certainly is what we want," the prime minister told the Commons liaison committee.

"I think the question then will be whether you can establish a broader consensus about it, given that I think everyone knows this is a very difficult long term issue."

He said that the report of an independent commission could be used as "a springboard for an informed debate".

Blair said it was important to have an objective report on the options available.

"Whether we are able to achieve a consensus on it, I don't know," he cautioned.

"It is more difficult to do that when you have got potentially very heated political debate coming up.

"But I think that in a period of calmer reflection it will be important to have this debate and to have it on a basis where hopefully you can establish some rules that will stand the test of time."

The prime minister also said he wanted consensus "on the basis that such a policy would survive a change of government".

He said a policy with support from only one side of the political spectrum would be "difficult to sustain".