GB News host Eamonn Holmes lost his patience with a Gen Z live on air during a tense debate on state pension, challenging him to "try living on £156 a week".
It comes as new figures revealed four out of five Britons believe the state pension is insufficient to live on. Due to the soaring cost of living, pensioners are finding their savings insufficient to keep them financially afloat once retired.
However, political commentator Jack Rowlett claimed the "demographic crisis is only getting worse" and argued that pensions "should be means tested".
Speaking on GB News, he said: "In the UK at the moment I think that we have a demographic crisis which is only getting worse. We know over the next 25 years that 25 per cent of the population are going to be over 65.
Jack Rowlett argued pensions are too high
GB News
"Currently we are rationalising the fact that we can't afford the state pension by creeping back the age which I think is unfair because current working people who are paying for the state pension through taxation are not going to be seeing the same benefits.
"But also if you're a richer pensioner, you're going to be getting a state handout for much longer than if you're a poorer pensioner because life expectancy is much lower for poorer people than richer people. So by continuing to push back that age, it's grossly unfair.
"I think what we need to do is, rather than scrapping the state pension or reducing it, we need to be means testing it instead.
"Because currently whether you're a rich pensioner or whether you're a pensioner who's struggling to heat your home and feed yourself, you're getting that same handout from the state."
Jack Rowlett claimed that they should be "means tested"
GB News
Former Labour MP Denis MacShane waded in: "You look really dynamic for the age of 23. Let me tell you, as you get a bit older, you'll be paying taxes, a lot of taxes.
"Because to rebuild this country after the last 10 years, everybody's going to have to pay more after the disaster of the Liberal Democrat and Tory economic ideology.
"You'll find that it'll be very hard to persuade everybody older than you to pay a lot more so you can live in a better country.
"So I wouldn't actually means test pensioners, because means tests are mean. That's why the word is there.
Eamonn snapped at the 23 year old
GB News
Rowlett later added: "They're all committed to keeping the triple lock, which just doesn't feel fair when you have you know one in four pensioners are millionaires when you have working families, having seen their average annual income fall by £375 a year since 2010.
"But pensioners have seen theirs increased by £510 a year. When we see that nearly one third of children in this country are in poverty, whilst if you're a pensioner you're much less likely to be in poverty than the average Brit.
"We need to be focusing our efforts on those pensioners who are still in poverty."
Eamonn said: "Those figures aren't really relevant there.
"I'd say try living in 156 quid a week, Jack, that's what I'd say."
