Pensioners have earned the right to be a priority

It is barely a week since former Prime Minister Liz Truss appeared to end uncertainty by confirming that the triple lock had been restored, following pressure from the Daily Express.She, of course, is no longer in No10, but Downing Street insisted the decision had been taken jointly with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who remains in his post.Now, the Government says a decision will not be made until the Autumn statement on November 17, leaving open the possibility that pensions will increase by less than the rate of inflation.Older people are already suffering in the cost of living crisis. They tend to spend more time at home than people of working age, and cannot be expected to risk their health by sitting in the cold. Their heating bills are likely to be high.While inflation is running at around 10 percent, official figures show some of the staple foods that pensioners depend on have shot up in price by 50 percent or more.At the same time, many rely entirely on the state pension for their income. There are many pressures on the Government, not least the need to convince the financial markets that it has a plan to pay back the nation’s debts. But pensioners are a special case, and they should be treated as such.A civilised society is judged on how it treats its most vulnerable members and many pensioners fall into that category. Their welfare must be at the top of the Government’s agenda. Sunak and Hunt have not committed to reinstating the triple lock (Image: Getty)A remarkable 10,000 single adult men have arrived illegally in the UK from Albania this year. Border Force officials warn that a ‘huge amount’ of serious crime is committed by organised Albanian gangs.Since the Kosovo war in the late 1990s, Albanian criminals have been coming into the UK and causing mayhem.Clearly, there are also Albanian migrants who arrive legally and want to contribute to our society. This does not lessen the importance of taking on the hardened criminals causing enormous damage to our communities.Television viewers may not associate Nigella Lawson with budget cooking as they watch her whip up a meal in a luxury kitchen. But her new line of cheap and cheerful recipes will help households make ends meet while still providing opportunities to try something new.It remains to be seen whether ‘dreamy creamy peanut butter pasta’ becomes a favourite for many families but it certainly sounds interesting.