Opposition parties and Unite union denounce pension triple lock plan
In his first Labour Party conference speech as prime minister, Andy Burnham used an address in Liverpool to set out a sweeping policy programme, with the centrepiece announcement a proposal to scrap the United Kingdom’s state pension triple lock from 2030 and redirect the resulting savings into a national care service. The speech lasted more than an hour, with Burnham pausing at several points and appearing to hold back tears as he referred to his father, Roy, who died earlier this month. He arrived on stage to the sound of “All Together Now” by Liverpool band The Farm and made the song’s title a theme of his remarks, telling delegates he wanted to “draw a line on a decade of division” and to “stop doomscrolling on posts running Britain down.”
The triple lock, introduced in 2010 by the coalition government, ties annual state pension increases to whichever of three measures is highest: inflation, average earnings growth, or 2.5%. Under Burnham’s proposal, the state pension would continue to rise each year by at least prices or 2.5%, but would no longer be automatically linked to earnings growth. “The state pension will continue to rise every year at least by prices or 2.5%,” Burnham told conference. “And it will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation.” He framed the savings as “significant” and pledged they would be used to “build up our national care service.” Under his plan, Burnham said, older people who rely on the state pension would no longer face paying care charges out of that small income.
Burnham described the proposed service as “as significant as the creation of the NHS itself and utterly essential to securing its future,” and said it would offer free-at-the-point-of-use social care in England. He said the social care plan would be “fully funded and not through borrowing.” Government officials have suggested the policy could save £15bn a year by 2040.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies struck a more cautious note. Jonathan Cribb, the IFS’s deputy director, said the savings from the change “are likely to be relatively small in the first few years, but rise substantially over time.” He also warned: “We should not expect this reform to save enough that it could fund universal social care in the next parliament.” Many of the proposals Burnham outlined, including the social care plan and any commitment to change the voting system, would be developed for inclusion in the Labour manifesto at the next general election, rather than delivered as immediate action; the social care plan is being prepared for voters in 2029.
The political backlash to the pension proposal was immediate. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said “more tax rises are inevitable” under Labour’s plan. Reform UK’s Nigel Farage accused the prime minister of “launching an offensive against our elderly.” Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said families “cannot wait until after another election and it can’t be funded from the pockets of our poorest pensioners.” Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, told the BBC the government should have “pulled another lever,” such as a wealth tax, rather than making changes to the triple lock. Burnham acknowledged he may “pay a political price” for the reforms but argued “someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off.”
Beyond pensions and care, Burnham said he wanted to repeal what he described as “Margaret Thatcher’s ideological ban on public ownership of water companies.” Legislation will be put before Parliament, he said, with the changes to “start a 10-year journey to a very different water system” that includes new powers for mayors to hold “companies to account.”
On housing, Burnham said the government would make it easier for councils to acquire private rented homes in poor condition when landlords refuse to act after being issued warnings, and would change the law “if necessary” to enable such acquisitions.
Burnham also used the speech to argue that “Brexit has done more harm than good” and indicated he wanted to explore closer UK-EU ties. Ahead of talks expected later this year with EU leaders, he said he would set out “different options” for Britain’s “long-term relationship” with the bloc. “I will see if we can find consensus around one,” he said, “which will give us clarity about our position and the future of the continent that we live in.”
To cheers in the hall, Burnham announced a national commission on electoral reform that could result in changes to the current voting system for UK parliamentary elections. He asked all political parties to contribute, telling delegates: “We will contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the electoral system so that everyone’s vote counts and everyone’s voice is heard.” Skills Minister Baroness Smith of Malvern told the PA news agency: “Electoral reform isn’t top of my list of priorities. Good luck to the commission. I shall be interested in what it comes out with.”
On education and youth policy, Burnham pledged to “rebuild a system of comprehensive education in this country, with parity between academic and technical” and said there needs to be a “fundamental rethink” of the welfare system to fund new opportunities for young people. He framed the broader programme with personal references, recalling his grandmother Kitty’s engagement ring being “ripped from her finger and stolen in a care home” to illustrate the case for a national care service, and his family’s “working-class aspiration” to illustrate the government’s ambition for others.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said the prime minister’s conference speech contained little more than “half measures, reannouncements and tinkering.”