UK elderly suffer worst poverty rate in western Europe

Britain's low basic pension, combined with means-tested supplements, puts thousands of older people at risk

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, according to a new study.

The rise, from 0.9% of the elderly population to around 5%, is attributable to Britain's state pension system and its "low basic payments and means-tested supplements", says the author of the report, Pension Reforms and Old Age Inequalities in Europe.