COWDENBEATH MSP Annabelle Ewing has warned the Conservative Government against increasing the state pension age, which would have 'dire and disproportionate consequences' in her constituency.

The threat comes following a report published by the Centre for Social Justice - chaired by close ally of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Iain Duncan Smith - which concludes that the state pension age should rise to 75 over the next 16 years.

Ms Ewing said that any further increases in the state pension age could have a hugely disproportionate impact on Scotland and the Cowdenbeath constituency, due to its unique demographic needs and called on the UK Government to heed warnings raised in a new report that found the proportion of elderly people living in severe poverty in the UK is five times what it was in 1986 - the largest increase among western European countries.

Speaking this week, Ms Ewing said: “The Tory’s Government’s approach to the UK’s elderly population and state pension policy has been cruel and callous.

“From the burning injustices facing the WASPI women, who have been denied the right to their state pension, to the stripping away of free TV licences for the over 75s, this Government’s attitude towards its older people is shameful".

She added: “Instead of taking on board policies written up by one of the architects of Tory austerity, the new Prime Minister must take action to address the dire levels of pensioner poverty in the UK.

"The Tory UK Government should take a step back and tackle these injustices - rather than ramping up the threats."

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think-tank, headed by Iain Duncan-Smith, says the UK isn't responding to the potential of an ageing workforce. It says hundreds of thousands of people aged 50 to 64 are deemed "economically inactive".

To combat this, it recommends helping older people "access the benefits of work" by providing support to them and employers, such as increased access to flexible working and training opportunities. The think tank says this would also reduce the costs of benefits and boost the UK's gross domestic product.