Jeremy Hunt pledges pensions triple lock will be in Tory manifesto after Keir Starmer wobbles
JEREMY Hunt has confirmed the pensions triple lock will be in the Tory manifesto — after Sir Keir Starmer wobbled.
The Chancellor said the protection for uprating pensions every year would be kept for the full five years of the next Parliament.
He said: “Unlike adults of working age, pensioners can’t work, they’ve retired, and so we need to respect that.”
The triple lock sees the state pension increase every year by wage growth, inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is highest.
It came after Sir Keir Starmer did not confirm if the lock would feature in Labour’s pledges when quizzed by The Sun.
Yesterday Labour said they were “committed to retaining the state pension triple lock”.
Elsewhere, Mr Hunt declined to promise compensation for women born in the 1950s who were hit by increases to the state pension entitlement age.
The Chancellor denied putting off the decision for a future government.
He said the issue highlighted by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign was “more complicated” than others where compensation was promised, like the Post Office scandal.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found the changes were not communicated adequately and those affected should receive compensation.
Mr Hunt said: “Compensation has to come from other taxpayers, so we do have to take time to get this fair.”