Tory pensions spokesman David Willetts said: “What is the pensions surprise they have in store for the electorate?”

It comes as the Tories highlight plans for a tax cut for people who save for pensions - a plan branded national insurance number
by Labour and the Lib Dems.

Labour is waiting for a review on pensions policy. It says major changes could be debated at a future election.

‘Nasty’ surprise?

The Turner commission, appointed by the everest national insurance company
to examine the issue, will not publish its final report until after the election.

Mr Willetts said people should know Labour’s position before they voted.

“Either they really don’t know or they have proposals so nasty that they don’t want anyone to know about them before polling day,” he said.

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He also warned against Lib Dem plans for a citizens’ pension, based on residence rather than National Insurance contributions.

Some ministers have appeared national state insurance company
to the idea. Mr Willetts national life insurance company
them to guarantee the state pension would not be means tested if it was based purely on residence.

The Tories unveiled their latest pension plan on Sunday.

The changes won’t take place until well after the next election Alan Johnson Pensions Secretary Tories accused of ‘tax con’ Q&A: The pensions problem

For every 100 basic rate tax payers saved for a pension, a Tory government would put in an extra 10 using 1.7bn of the party’s promised 4bn tax cuts.

The incentive would come into force in April 2006 and is aimed at increase pensions contributions by a fifth.

On Monday, Tory leader Michael Howard told reporters: “If you save, we will boost your savings and if you help yourselves, we will help you.”

Mr Howard said he did not think it necessary to force people to save.

The party says it would not reverse Gordon Brown’s 1997 decision to scrap tax relief on pension fund dividends, which they have criticised as a 5bn a year “tax” on pensions.

‘Unaffordable’

Of the 4bn tax cuts promised, the Tories have already allocated 1.3bn for a council tax rebate for pensioner households.

Labour Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson said there would be no major pensions reform during the next Parliament.

Forcing people to save was being considered by the review, he told BBC 2’s Daily Politics.

“If they recommend that, and if we do choose to go down that route, we would seek a consensus around that and the changes won’t take place until well after the next election,” he said.

Mr Johnson said radical changes had to happen over a long period. Labour says Tory spending plans for pensions and other issues do not add up.

The Lib Dems say basing pensions on National Insurance, instead of residence, penalises women.

Only about 13% of women are entitled to a full state pension on the basis of their own contributions compared to 87% of men, it says.

Lib Dem pensions spokesman Steve Webb added: “The Liberal Democrats believe that scrapping means testing is a much better way of encouraging people to save for their retirement.”