But Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “Andy Burnham has yet again refused to rule out his universal death tax.

“He’s too weak to cut the sky-high benefits bill, so he’s coming for your home instead.

The Tories argued that the eye-watering benefits bill should be cut to fund social care.

“Instead, he’s going to reach for tax increases that will simply cause even more damage to our economy.”

Sir Keir Starmer‘s former right-hand man Darren Jones suggested axing the triple lock in order to fund social care reforms.

The policy sees the state pension rise every year by whichever is highest out of inflation, earnings and 2.5% but critics argue it is unaffordable.

The ex-Cabinet minister told the BBC‘s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “An interesting thought, maybe, the triple lock is very expensive in the years ahead and is of benefit to older people.

“If you’re reallocating money to help older people in the social care system maybe there’s some reform that can be made there.”

Pressed on if he would ditch the triple lock, Mr Jones added: “I think it’s an option that the Government should consider alongside others.

“But I think you can’t just keep taxing and spending more, and you can’t just keep borrowing more so you’re going to have to swap something out if you’re going to start to put money in in this way.”

But campaigner Dennis Reed warned that getting rid of the triple lock would add to pressures on the NHS and social care.

The Silver Voices director said: “Yet another sacked politician seeks to keep in the public eye by using poor pensioners as a punchbag.

“Increasing pensioner poverty would enhance the financial pressures on the NHS and social care and reduce older people’s ability to contribute to a growing economy.

“If he stood up at Labour Party Conference to say these things he would be heard in stony silence.”

Mr Jenrick added: “Instead of choosing to cut the benefits bill, end foreign aid and stop net zero subsidies, Labour MPs want to scrap cut the state pension. Their priorities are all wrong.

“Reform will keep the triple lock and raise the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 so it’s never taxed.”

Unite boss Sharon Graham also warned Mr Burnham against making changes to the triple lock.

She told Sky News: “I think it’s also important that what doesn’t happen is that we sort of pit against each other.

“So that shouldn’t be instead of the triple lock, for example, we have got one of the lowest rates that we give to pensioners in the G7. I think that we joint lowest the amount that we give to pensioners.

“And so therefore we need to make sure that there isn’t taking money from somewhere, making people less well-off in order to do other things.”

Mr Burnham, whose father died with Alzheimer’s disease earlier this month, said he would “grasp the nettle” when it comes to tackling the social care crisis despite the potential unpopularity it would cause.

He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “People are paying care charges now. They are spending tens of thousands of pounds from their savings, sometimes losing their homes.

“That is what’s happening at the moment. So to suggest there isn’t a cost to people at this moment in time, there’s a huge cost.

“Social care in England is as unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable in society can lose everything, they can be wiped out, not just by the condition that they have, but wiped out financially.”

Asked if a levy on estates was one option he was considering, he said: “Nothing is off the table at this moment in time. Now that doesn’t mean that I’m going straight back to the proposal that I had in 2010.”

There is ongoing speculation over an early general election, which is not due until 2029, despite Mr Burnham ruling out the move.

Baroness Louise Casey is leading a review of social care which is due to be completed next year.

A care service which, like the NHS, is free at the point of use could cost up to £18.5 billion a year in 2035/6, the Health Foundation think tank has estimated.

Andy Burnham Issued Huge Triple Lock Warning After New Call to Axe Policy

Andy Burnham has faced a major warning over the future of the state pension triple lock after renewed calls for the policy to be scrapped or fundamentally changed as the Government searches for ways to finance its ambitious plans for a National Care Service.

The debate has intensified following Burnham’s decision to signal a significant reform of the mechanism from 2030. While the Prime Minister has insisted that he is honouring Labour’s manifesto commitment during the current Parliament, his announcement means the existing triple lock formula will not continue unchanged beyond April 2030.

Under the present system, the state pension rises annually by whichever is highest among inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5 percent. Burnham has proposed replacing the current approach from 2030 with a system under which the pension would continue to rise at least in line with prices or by 2.5 percent, while maintaining its value relative to earnings over a longer period.

The proposal has already generated criticism from Conservative politicians and concern among trade unions, while economists and business organisations have been debating whether the existing system can remain affordable as Britain’s population ages.

For Burnham, the issue is closely connected to one of the central promises of his premiership: creating a National Care Service.

Burnham’s major pension announcement

In his Labour conference speech, Burnham acknowledged that his approach would involve difficult choices.

He said Labour had promised in its 2024 manifesto to keep the triple lock unchanged throughout the current Parliament and stated explicitly that he would honour that commitment. However, he then announced that the system would be adjusted from April 2030.

The Prime Minister said the state pension would continue increasing every year by at least prices or 2.5 percent. He also said the system would ensure pensioners continued to share in rising national prosperity over time.

The crucial difference is that the direct annual earnings link would be removed.

Burnham argues that this would produce significant savings which could then be redirected towards the creation of a National Care Service.

The Government’s stated objective is to create a system in which older people do not face potentially devastating care costs simply because they require support later in life.

Burnham described the proposal as a trade-off: a state pension that continues to rise, protection from care charges and a publicly funded National Care Service.

He also announced that low-income pensioners would not be brought into income tax as a result of the reforms during the current Parliament.

Why the triple lock matters

The triple lock was introduced to provide greater protection for pensioners against inflation and ensure that the state pension does not fall too far behind earnings.

Its operation is relatively straightforward. If inflation is higher than wage growth and both are above 2.5 percent, pensions rise with inflation. If wages rise faster than inflation, the pension follows earnings. If both measures are below 2.5 percent, pensioners receive the 2.5 percent increase.

That guarantee has become an important part of Britain’s retirement policy.

It has also become increasingly expensive.

According to analysis reported by Sky News, the Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated that by 2030 the Government could be spending around £15.5 billion more annually on the state pension than it would if pensions were increased solely in line with earnings. State pension spending is expected to reach approximately £169 billion by 2030.

Those figures explain why the policy has attracted renewed scrutiny.

Britain is experiencing demographic changes that mean a growing proportion of the population is older, while the number of working-age people available to finance public services through taxation is under pressure.

The Government therefore faces a long-term question about how generous pension provision can remain while funding healthcare, social care and other public services.

Calls for the policy to be scrapped

Burnham’s announcement did not emerge in isolation.

There have been repeated calls from economists, business organisations and politicians for the triple lock to be replaced or substantially modified.

The British Chambers of Commerce has called for the policy to be scrapped, with the money saved redirected towards tackling youth unemployment.

One of Burnham’s former economic advisers, Lord Jim O’Neill, has also argued that the Government needs to confront spending commitments that place pressure on the public finances. In September, he urged Burnham to consider reducing spending on the triple lock or welfare as part of a broader attempt to demonstrate fiscal discipline.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has also raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of Britain’s pension arrangements, adding further weight to the debate surrounding the policy.

These interventions have created a difficult environment for the Prime Minister.

There is growing pressure to control spending, but changing the pension system carries significant consequences for millions of people who depend on the state pension as a major source of retirement income.

Unions raise concerns

The response from organised labour has been particularly important because Burnham leads a Labour Government.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham warned that abandoning the triple lock could be extremely damaging politically and argued that Labour needed to ensure working-class voters understood that the party remained on their side.

Graham also questioned whether reducing pension increases was consistent with the principle behind a universal National Care Service.

Her argument was that such a service should operate on the basis of broad contributions and universal benefits rather than requiring pensioners to surrender part of the protection they receive through the state pension.

Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell, meanwhile, stressed that the party remained committed to the triple lock during the current Parliament.

She pointed out that the policy had significantly increased pension incomes and argued that pensioners needed certainty about the future value of their retirement income.

The distinction between the current Parliament and the period beginning in 2030 is therefore central to understanding Burnham’s position.

He is not proposing to change the system immediately.

Instead, he is announcing a future reform while maintaining the existing commitment until the end of the Parliament.

The Government’s argument on social care

Burnham has presented the pension reform as part of a much broader restructuring of social care.

The Prime Minister has argued that Britain’s existing system leaves some older people facing potentially severe financial pressure when they require long-term care.

Under his proposed National Care Service, those who currently face care charges from relatively modest pension incomes would receive greater protection.

This is why Burnham has framed the pension reform as part of a wider deal rather than simply a reduction in pension generosity.

His message is that pensioners will continue to receive annual increases, while the Government will also remove or reduce care charges and provide a more comprehensive national care system.

The Government believes the savings generated by changing the pension formula can help finance that transformation.

The precise cost of the National Care Service and the amount that would be saved by the pension reform remain important questions.

Those figures will ultimately determine how significant the contribution from pension reform would be to the wider care programme.

Opposition attacks the proposal

Conservative politicians have already criticised Burnham’s approach.

They have argued that changing the pension formula amounts to taking money from pensioners and spending it elsewhere.

The BBC reported that Conservative criticism focused on the claim that Burnham was effectively redirecting pension money into another area of public spending. Burnham rejected the characterisation that he was simply taking money from pensioners, arguing instead that the reform was designed to protect older people from potentially very high care costs.

The political disagreement therefore revolves around how the policy should be understood.

Opponents emphasise the reduction in the generosity of the earnings link.

The Government emphasises the continued annual increase in the state pension and the additional protection against care costs.

Both descriptions concern the same underlying policy but highlight different consequences.

Why the finances are under pressure

The long-term affordability of the pension system is one of the main reasons the debate has become more urgent.

The OBR has warned that the triple lock creates significant uncertainty for the public finances. When inflation or earnings growth rises sharply, the pension can receive a larger increase than originally anticipated.

That happened during periods of high inflation and rapid wage growth.

At the same time, the number of pensioners is expected to increase as life expectancy rises.

The Government therefore faces a structural problem: spending on pensions can grow even when the wider economy is not expanding at the same rate.

Sky News reported that state pension payments totalled approximately £146.1 billion in the 2025-26 tax year, compared with around £62.2 billion spent on defence. The Department for Work and Pensions expects pension spending to reach approximately £169 billion by 2030.

Those numbers demonstrate why even relatively small changes to the pension formula can have significant effects on public spending over time.

Other options are being discussed

Scrapping the triple lock entirely is not the only possible solution.

Researchers have proposed alternative mechanisms that would continue to protect pensioners against inflation while reducing the effect of unusually strong earnings growth.

One proposal discussed by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research is a “living standards lock”. Under that approach, pensions would continue to rise with inflation, while additional increases linked to earnings would depend on broader economic conditions.

Another possibility is changing the state pension age.

The current state pension age is 66, although it is gradually increasing towards 68 for younger generations. Further increases could reduce the number of years in which people receive the state pension, potentially reducing long-term expenditure.

However, such changes would also have significant consequences for workers and would raise questions about employment, health and differences in life expectancy between regions and socioeconomic groups.

There is therefore no simple solution.

Burnham’s “adjustment” rather than abolition

One of the most important aspects of Burnham’s announcement is his insistence that he is not simply abolishing the triple lock.

Speaking about the plan, he described the change as an adjustment.

From 2030, the pension would still rise annually by at least inflation or 2.5 percent, while the Government would seek to preserve its relative value compared with earnings over the longer term.

This means the debate is partly about terminology and partly about the mechanism itself.

The traditional triple lock provides a guaranteed annual earnings test. Burnham’s proposed system would instead consider pensioners’ relative living standards over a longer period.

Supporters of reform argue that this could make pension spending more predictable.

Critics worry that removing the annual earnings link could leave pensioners receiving smaller increases in some circumstances.

The political challenge

The controversy presents Burnham with a difficult balancing act.

He wants to establish a National Care Service that could fundamentally change the way social care is funded and delivered.

But achieving that objective requires substantial resources.

The Prime Minister has said that he is willing to make difficult decisions and has repeatedly warned that the country cannot continue with the existing approach to major public-service problems.

His conference speech reinforced that message.

“I accept I may pay a political price,” Burnham said, before arguing that someone had to confront difficult choices.

That statement illustrates how seriously he regards the social care challenge.

At the same time, the pension triple lock is an important financial guarantee for millions of older people.

Changing it therefore creates a direct political and economic debate about how Britain should distribute limited public resources.

What happens next?

Burnham’s proposal is not due to take effect until April 2030.

That gives the Government several years to develop the details, examine the financial consequences and debate how the new system would operate.

The coming period is likely to involve further negotiations with Labour MPs, unions, pensioner organisations and economic experts.

The Government will also need to explain precisely how the earnings protection mechanism would work and how much money would be saved.

Those details will determine the practical impact of the reform.

For pensioners, the immediate message is that the existing triple lock remains in place during the current Parliament. Burnham has explicitly committed to honouring Labour’s manifesto promise.

But beyond 2030, the system is set for a major change if the proposal becomes law.

The wider debate is therefore only beginning.

Britain must decide how to balance adequate retirement incomes with the rising cost of pensions, healthcare and social care. Burnham’s proposal attempts to connect those issues by using pension reform to help finance a new National Care Service.

Whether that approach ultimately provides the financial sustainability the Government seeks, while maintaining adequate protection for pensioners, will depend on the final design of the policy and the wider state of the economy.

For now, one thing is clear: the triple lock is no longer being treated as an untouchable part of Britain’s pension system. Burnham has committed to preserving it unchanged for the remainder of the current Parliament, but has also announced a major adjustment from 2030.

That decision has opened a much wider national debate about pensions, social care, public spending and intergenerational fairness — a debate that is likely to remain at the heart of British economic politics for years to come.

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