Key facts
- Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan warned of political damage from scrapping the state pension triple lock.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham plans to change the triple lock from 2030 to fund a national care service.
- The current triple lock increases the state pension by the highest of earnings, inflation, or 2.5%.
- Critics argue the change penalizes the poorest pensioners.
- The Triple Lock was introduced in 2011 to address rising pensioner poverty.
Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan has warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham that his decision to scrap the State Pension Triple Lock could be politically damaging. Duncan-Jordan expressed concern that the move, intended to help fund a national care service, would penalize the poorest pensioners. He questioned the justification for the change when many older people live in poverty on less than £13,000 a year. The comments mark a significant public disagreement within the Labour party over the policy. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to protect the Triple Lock, attacking Burnham for targeting the elderly. The current triple lock ensures the state pension increases annually by the highest of inflation, 2.5%, or average earnings. Burnham's proposed changes from 2030 would remove the earnings link unless the pension's value had fallen behind inflation or 2.5%. The Triple Lock was originally introduced in 2011 to combat rising pensioner poverty.