Labour splits over triple lock as ministers clash at conference

Deep splits have emerged in Labour over scrapping the pensions triple lock to help fund free social care for the elderly, as Andy Burnham prepares to address the issue in his first speech as prime minister to the party conference today.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham warned that scrapping the lock would be “almost electoral suicide”. She told The Times: “We’re the lowest in the G7 in terms of how much we spend on pensions. I think that’s an embarrassment, quite frankly, because we’re one of the six richest economies in the world.”

Cabinet ministers are openly divided. Women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson warned of the risk of “intergenerational warfare”, while Scotland secretary Douglas Alexander told Times Radio that young people were getting “a really raw deal” and the government would “have to balance all of these questions over the coming years”. Chancellor John Healey has repeatedly declined to rule out dropping the triple lock, telling ITV News: “The prime minister has got more to say tomorrow.”

The pressure comes as Burnham pledged to take his plans for an NHS-style national care service — estimated at around £18.5 billion a year — to voters at the next general election. He told the BBC that “nothing was off the table” on funding, according to The Times and Reuters.

Reform voices are growing louder. Former chief secretary Darren Jones told the BBC that scrapping the triple lock was “an option the government should consider alongside others”, and former work and pensions secretary Lord Blunkett told The Telegraph that Burnham should axe it, potentially raising up to £22 billion by 2030.

But Wes Streeting told Sky News: “The manifesto was clear on this — we’re committed to the triple lock,” as reported by The Independent. Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledged to retain the triple lock during this Parliament, and Burnham is expected to pledge an “honest conversation” with voters in today’s speech.

Sources

• The Times — “Labour splits emerge over scrapping pensions triple lock”: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/pensions-triple-lock-andy-burnham-labour-conference-tgdw9ckfw
• The Times — “Ministers could scrap pensions triple lock to pay for social care”: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/andy-burnham-pledge-national-care-service-j72p53mqf
• Reuters — “UK’s Burnham pledges to fight next election on social care reform”: https://theprint.in/world/uks-burnham-pledges-to-fight-next-election-on-social-care-reform/3055100/?amp
• The Independent (Labour conference live blog, 28 Sept 2026): https://newswav.com/article/labour-conference-live-burnham-says-uk-needs-to-draw-line-on-brexit-as-he-a-A2609_WXVcN6
• Report of Telegraph/Lord Blunkett intervention and Jones BBC interview: https://newswav.com/article/scrap-state-pension-triple-lock-to-fund-social-care-burnham-told-A2609_aLpZbv
• The Sun — “Andy Burnham risks row with pensioners”: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/40522276/andy-burnham-scrap-pension-triple-lock/