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Flat rate state pension of £140-a-week among coalition plans in its mid-term review

A flat rate state pension of £140 a week, funded by increases in the state retirement age, will be one of the coalition’s main initiatives unveiled today, as it marks the halfway point in Government with its mid-term review.

The mid-term review will also look at how successful the Government has been in meeting its coalition agreement promises and commits them to further reforms.

Prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg are expected to pledge to "provide dignity" in old age with an improved state pension and help towards long-term care.

The promise of a single state pension of about £140 a week is designed to appeal to low and middle income earners.

Cameron and Clegg's joint foreword to the review states: "We will set out two big reforms to provide dignity in old age: an improved state pension that rewards saving, and more help with the costs of long-term care.

"And as we take these steps to reshape the British state for the 21st century, we will take further steps to limit its scope and extend our freedoms. We will be making announcements about each of these policy initiatives in due course.

"Our mission is clear: to get Britain living within its means and earning its way in the world once again."

Other initiatives will include pledges on childcare costs and increased infrastructure investment.

The joint foreword also added: "We are dealing with the deficit, rebuilding the economy, reforming welfare and education and supporting hard-working families through tough times. And on all of these key aims, our parties, after 32 months of coalition, remain steadfast and united.

"Of course there have been some issues on which we have not seen eye to eye, and no doubt there will be more. That is the nature of coalition.

"But on the things that matter most - the big structural reforms needed to secure our country's long-term future - our resolve and sense of shared purpose have, if anything, grown over time."