Minister refuses to rule out scrapping state pension triple lock

Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell has refused to say whether the pensions triple lock could be dropped by the party amid discussions over how Andy Burnham’s social care plans could be funded.

Ms Powell, who is also the education secretary, said the party was committed to the triple lock – the mechanism which decides how much the state pension rises by – and referenced its inclusion in the party’s 2024 manifesto.

However, despite being pressed on it by broadcasters, she would not say whether Mr Burnham and chancellor John Healey are considering ending the policy at the next manifesto, which guarantees that pensions will rise in line with inflation, 2.5 per cent or average earnings, whichever is the largest increase.

Ms Powell told Sky News: “We are committed to the triple lock. It’s in our manifesto. The triple lock has has really delivered for pensioners, in this country, over the course of this Parliament.

“I think we’re going to see (the) state pension rising by about £2,000-a-year significantly, and that’s really important, so pensioners watching your show today can know that their income is secure and will continue to rise over the course of this Parliament.

“I don’t know what Andy’s going to say about that today, but I know that what he’s talking about is this big conversation about solving these big problems, but being really honest with people that they they come at a cost.

“They do come at a cost. You can’t just solve the social care crisis without having the big conversations about how you’re going to do this.”

Giving his main stage speech at Labour’s conference in Liverpool, Andy Burnham will pledge to tackle the issues politicians “usually avoid”.

It comes amid growing speculation that a change in the way pensions are increased to a less generous system could be used to partly fund the cost of free social care for adults in England.

The prime minister, who is expected to use his address to set out a new course for a “Britain where people feel the country has their back again”, will flesh out his plans for free social care in England, promise measures on youth unemployment and public control of utilities – with a pledge to hold an “honest conversation” about tough issues.

Echoing the Liverpool conference’s slogan of “Hope again”, Mr Burnham will tell party members that “hope comes from honesty and from saying the things politicians usually avoid”.

He will also announce a new publicly-owned “Great British Grid” in a bid to bring UK energy costs down in line with European nations within a decade.

The prime minister will say: “We can’t carry on as we are. Politics-as-usual has taken Britain backwards.

“More of the same isn’t good enough and isn’t going to get us where we need to be.”

Social care is likely to feature prominently in the speech, with the prime minister suggesting on Monday he would set out more detail of his plans to fund reform of the system.

Mr Burnham has previously said he intends to spend what “political capital” he has on reforming social care, an issue he tried to address as health secretary under Gordon Brown.

But change will not come before the next election, with Baroness Louise Casey still to publish the findings of her review of social care and Mr Burnham suggesting he would put his proposals to the public in Labour’s next manifesto.