An MP has welcomed the news that millions of people are now saving for their retirement thanks to changes to the workplace pension scheme.

Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, was delighted to hear that around 7,000 people in his constituency have signed up following the introduction of auto-enrolment.

The scheme, which took into account how much employees could afford, was put forward so that more people could think about their lives after work.

Research has shown that workplace pensions are now the “new normal”, and small businesses have described it “necessary” and “sensible”.

Mr Blackman said: “By introducing automatic enrolment, we’re transforming the way people save for retirement.

“That means more families can plan for the long-term with the security of a pension.

“For a whole generation, workplace pension saving is now the new normal, but there’s more to do to help more people than ever before build an enjoyable and secure retirement.”