Relevant to this discussion is that the increase in public sector spending on pensions increased by £17bn from 22/23 to 23/24: www.statista.com/statistics/298907/united-kingdom-uk-public-sector-expenditure-pensions/#:~:text=The%20government%20of%20the%20United,in%20the%20previous%20financial%20year.
And that's going to keep going up and up. Unlike covid which was, at least, a one off.