OAPs: Parties are targeting the 'grey vote'

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have made determined pitches for the grey vote, each claiming newly published figures on pensioner incomes supported their policies.

Labour seized on the headline statistic from the Pensioners Income Series report, which suggested pensioners' incomes are rising faster than the average.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that while average earnings in the whole economy rose 13 per cent over the last eight years, pensioners' incomes rose 21 per cent.

But the Liberal Democrats disputed the government’s claims, saying the figures also showed pensioners becoming more unequal with the increase in rich pensioners’ income twice that of the poorest.

Between 1994/95 and 2003/04, the poorest fifth of pensioner couples saw their income increase by £38 a week, while the richest fifth saw their income increase by £95 a week.

Labour hit back, saying poorer pensioners incomes' were nevertheless rising much faster than they had under the Conservatives.

Alan Johnson, secretary of state for work and pensions, said: "Today's figures show that Labour has put pensioners first. Over 18 Tory years, the poorest fifth of single pensioners saw their incomes rise by just 1.2 per cent per year, whereas with Labour, the average increase has been three times as fast at 3.5 per cent.

"It's this approach that has lifted nearly two million pensioners out of the poverty of the Tory years.