(Image: Stuart Boulton)
Nigel Farage shared afternoon tea with residents in Redcar as he defended the triple lock on pensions.
The Reform UK leader was joined by the party's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick at O'Grady's Hotel, where they met pensioners and residents over tea, sandwiches, scones and Reform-branded cupcakes.
Mr Farage and Mr Jenrick sat with groups of local people around tables decorated with Union Jack-themed place settings.
Later, they posed alongside supporters holding placards carrying the slogan "Protecting Your Pension".
Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick at O'Gradys Hotel in Redcar. (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Mr Farage told The Northern Echo: "We have been speaking to pensioners and soon-to-be pensioners just to get their perception on this whole, 'Oh the old get everything and the young get nothing' debate - and I do accept that it is tough for young people.
Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick at O'Gradys Hotel in Redcar. (Image: Stuart Boulton)
"We have been talking about that. Talking about deindustrialisation in the North East - the promise of green jobs has just not appeared."
Last week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that from April 2030, Labour plans to adjust the triple lock to a double lock which is used to increase state pensions each April. Under the plans, the state pension would continue to rise every year at least by CPI (Consumer Prices Index) inflation or 2.5 per cent.
Mr Farage also used the gathering to highlight concerns about industrial energy costs and their impact on manufacturing and employment.
Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick at O'Gradys Hotel in Redcar. (Image: Stuart Boulton)
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Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick at O'Gradys Hotel in Redcar. (Image: Stuart Boulton)
He said: "One of the messages I have brought to this event, and it knocks the socks off people, is that our industrial energy prices today are eight times that of America."
Mr Farage and Mr Jenrick moved between tables speaking with residents before taking to the streets of Redcar after lunch and enjoying a lemon top.
The visit comes as pensions remain a key political battleground, with parties seeking to reassure older voters amid continuing debate over public spending, living costs and the long-term affordability of the triple lock.