Momentum is growing among Labour MPs secretly plotting a push for the triple lock to be scrapped in order to boost support for younger generations.
Pressure is mounting from outside Whitehall to rethink the policy, with former prime minister Tony Blair warning it is “unaffordable long term”, and former Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt calling for the “immoral” policy to be scrapped.
Despite the Labour Government stating it will maintain the triple lock in its manifesto, MPs have told The i Paper of a groundswell of private discussions among colleagues about how to phase it out – while causing minimal electoral damage.
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Caption: File photo dated 05/10/03 of Actor Anthony Head, who plays Rupert Giles in the TV series Buff The Vampire Slayer, during a signing session at the Collectormania 4 film festival and collector’s fair held at the Centre:MK, Milton Keynes. Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72, his daughters said in a statement to the Press Association. Issue date: Friday June 05, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Photographer: Yui Mok
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Source: PA
CELEBRITIES
Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head dies at 72
Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72, his daughters said in a statement.
The British star was best known as librarian Rupert Giles in the cult US supernatural TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which ran from 1997 to 2003.
His family pays tribute
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father. He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family. It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many.
statement from his daughters, actresses Emily and Daisy Head
Caption: File photo dated 04/01/12 of Anthony Head and his daughters Emily (left) and Daisy (right) arriving at the European Premiere of The Iron Lady, at the BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, London. Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72, his daughters said in a statement to the Press Association. Issue date: Friday June 05, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Photographer: Yui Mok
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Source: PA
A closer look at Head’s career
Most recently, Head played former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham’s character Rebecca, in football comedy Ted Lasso.
Caption: File photo dated 20/05/07 of (L-R) The stars of Little Britain David Walliams and Anthony Head arrive for the British Academy Television Awards, held at the London Palladium, central London. Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72, his daughters said in a statement to the Press Association. Issue date: Friday June 05, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Photographer: Yui Mok
Provider: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Source: PA
Caption: File photo dated 26/10/05 of Richard E. Grant (right) who plays Simon Hench, and Anthony Head who plays Jeff Golding, at a photocall for the new stage production ‘Otherwise Engaged’, at the Criterion Theatre, central London. Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72, his daughters said in a statement to the Press Association. Issue date: Friday June 05, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire
Photographer: Ian West
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His other notable roles were the Prime Minister in Little Britain and Uther Pendragon in Merlin, the father of Prince Arthur. Known for his distinctive baritone voice, Head first rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s in the Nescafe Gold Blend television adverts.
Stardom across the pond and beyond
Head’s role in Buffy made him famous in the United States, but he left the regular cast during the show’s sixth season, only appearing as a guest star until the series concluded. He also acted in Motherland, Manchild, Silent Witness, Spooks, Doctor Who and My Family.
Analysis
4 min read
Analysis
3 min read
Rapist who let innocent man serve 17 years for his crime is jailed
A sex offender convicted of a brutal rape for which an innocent man was jailed, has been given a 21-year prison sentence.
Caption: Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Paul Quinn during a police interview. Quinn has been found guilty by a jury at Manchester Crown Court of a rape attack in 2003, for which innocent man Andrew Malkinson was jailed for 17 years. Issue date: Friday April 17, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: GMP/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: GMP
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Long-awaited justice
Paul Quinn (below, right) has been jailed at Manchester Crown Court for 21 years with a three-year extended licence period for a 2003 rape that resulted in innocent man Andrew Malkinson (below, left) being wrongly jailed for 17 years.
Caption: Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Paul Quinn who has been found guilty by a jury at Manchester Crown Court of a rape attack in 2003, for which innocent man Andrew Malkinson was jailed for 17 years. Issue date: Friday April 17, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: GMP/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
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Caption: File photo dated 26/07/23 of Andrew Malkinson who spent 17 years in jail for rape after he had been wrongly convicted and jailed. A jury at Manchester Crown Court has retired to consider verdicts in the trial of Paul Quinn, 51, accused of a brutal stranger rape for which Mr Malkinson spent 17 years in jail. Quinn, who denies the sex attack in 2003, was only arrested nearly 20 years later after a DNA breakthrough. Picture date: Monday April 13, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
Photographer: Jordan Pettitt
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Malkinson, now aged 60, had made multiple failed appeals and was only released in 2020, with his conviction finally quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2023.
How he was caught
Quinn, 52, and a father of six, was aged 29 at the time of the rape but a sex offender from the age of 12.
He was only arrested almost two decades after the attack, after advances in DNA testing meant that in 2022, a billion-to-one match of his DNA profile was made with saliva left on the victim’s vest top.
Caption: Undated handout file photo originally issued on 10/04/26 by Greater Manchester Police of a vest top worn by the victim allegedly raped by Paul Quinn from which a DNA profile was eventually extracted. Quinn has been sentenced to 24 years in prison at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, after previously being found guilty by a jury at Manchester Crown Court of a rape attack in 2003, for which innocent man Andrew Malkinson was jailed for 17 years. Issue date: Friday June 05, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: GMP/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: GMP
Provider: GMP/PA Wire
Source: PA
Paul Quinn pictured in 2003 just months before the rape he committed (Photo: Greater Manchester Police/PA Wire)
The ‘heroic’ victim
Caption: Screen grab taken from PA Video of Mr Justice Bright at Manchester Crown Court during the sentencing of Paul Quinn for the 2003 rape attack, for which innocent man Andrew Malkinson was jailed for 17 years. Picture date: Friday June 5, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Video/PA Wire
Photographer: PA Video
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Source: PA
Quinn was found guilty in April and sentenced on Friday. He made no reaction as he finally faced justice.
Meanwhile, the judge hailed the victim, who was present and twice gave evidence at trial, as “heroic”.
NEWS
3 min read
‘A violent, depraved individual’
After Quinn was found guilty, Malkinson said he was a treated as a “handy patsy” for police who just wanted a “quick conviction” in what is one of the worst miscarriages of justice cases in British criminal history.
On Friday, he said he was “insulted that this violent, depraved individual” received a “softer sentenced than was imposed on me” after it emerged that Quinn would be eligible for parole in 14 years.
OPINION
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
ENVIRONMENT
£44.7m pay-out over sewage spills after ‘serious’ failures
Caption: HAVERFORDWEST, WALES – FEBRUARY 4: A general view of Welsh water’s discharge pipe from the sewerage treatment works into the River Cleddau on February 4, 2025 in Haverfordwest, Wales. (Photo by Rebecca Naden/Getty Images)
Photographer: Rebecca Naden
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Source: Getty Images Europe
A water company will pay out £44.7m after failures in its sewage network and oversight led to a series of spills, regulator Ofwat has announced.
What you need to know
Welsh Water failed to properly operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater network to ensure it could cope with levels of sewage and wastewater, Oftwat said.
The water watchdog added that the supplier also did not have adequate processes in place or oversight by senior bosses.
Exclusive
3 min read
Save Britain’s Rivers
5 min read
Customers won’t bear cost
Ofwat accepted Welsh Water’s redress package, first proposed in March, after consultation.
The package is more than the £40m that would otherwise have been imposed as a fine.
Welsh Water will fund the package itself rather than adding costs to customers’ bills, Ofwat added.
TELEVISION
4 min read
Where is the money going?
Welsh Water’s “enforcement package” will include £40.6m to reduce spills at specific overflow sites, reduce the environmental damage caused and tackle groundwater entering the sewer network.
Caption: BORTH, WALES – AUGUST 10: Summer holidaymakers play and relax on Borth Beach next to a storm overflow pipe that discharges into the sea on August 10, 2023 in Borth, Wales. There were more than 80,000 sewage overflows into Welsh seas and rivers for more than 500,000 hours in 2022 Surfers reported gastric illnesses after using beaches including Borth Beach. Dwr Cymru, which is responsible for managing water across most of Wales, blames aging infrastructure and the Welsh climate of high rainfall for overflows and has recently installed 2,300 monitors to help reduce the problem. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Photographer: Christopher Furlong
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Caption: BORTH, WALES – AUGUST 10: Summer holidaymakers play and relax on Borth Beach next to a storm overflow pipe that discharges into the sea on August 10, 2023 in Borth, Wales. There were more than 80,000 sewage overflows into Welsh seas and rivers for more than 500,000 hours in 2022 Surfers reported gastric illnesses after using beaches including Borth Beach. Dwr Cymru, which is responsible for managing water across most of Wales, blames aging infrastructure and the Welsh climate of high rainfall for overflows and has recently installed 2,300 monitors to help reduce the problem. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Photographer: Christopher Furlong
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
It will also feature an extra £4.1m to go towards improving river quality in “extremely sensitive catchments”.
Supplier must ‘regain trust’
We expect the company to focus on putting things right.
Lynn Parker, Ofwat’s senior director for enforcement, said Welsh Water must now act to “regain trust” of customers following “serious and unacceptable breaches”.
Caption: The Ryhl Flats windfarm is pictured on the horizon in the Irish Sea as a dog walker strolls on the beach at Abergele in north Wales on April 21, 2026. Britain’s government on April 21, 2026, unveiled plans to accelerate its clean energy drive after oil and gas prices soared in the wake of the US-Iran war. Placing solar panels and wind turbines on industrial and railway sites could power about five million homes, the Labour government said in a statement. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: PAUL ELLIS
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Welsh Water acknowledged its service had “fallen short of the standards our customers and regulators rightly expect” and promised to improve spills, leaks and water quality.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 10: Victoria Derbyshire attends the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises 2026 at The Royal Festival Hall on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Photographer: Karwai Tang
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Copyright: 2026 Karwai Tang
NEWS
Victoria Derbyshire ‘reprimanded’ over BBC bullying claims
Victoria Derbyshire has received a “reprimand” from BBC bosses after an investigation over bullying allegations at Newsnight, it has been reported.
Here’s the latest.
What you need to know
In October, the BBC’s support at work team launched an investigation into Newsnight, which Derbyshire, an acclaimed journalist who has worked at the broadcaster for over 25 years, has fronted since 2022.
Senior staff are said to have reviewed allegations of unprofessional behaviour which presenters, editors and producers, had either been subject to or witnessed.
Analysis
3 min read
OPINION
4 min read
Who raised concerns?
Multiple high-profile figures are reportedly among those who raised concerns on behalf of more junior staff about Derbyshire’s behaviour, The Times reports.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 22: King Charles III speaks with Victoria Derbyshire after the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall on November 22, 2024. (Photo by Hollie Adams – Pool/Getty Images)
Photographer: Pool
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Kirsty Wark poses with the Fellowship Award inside the Winners Room at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at The Royal Festival Hall on May 11, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Photographer: Stuart C. Wilson
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They allegedly include ex-Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark (left) and former chief content officer Charlotte Moore. Both declined to comment.
No claims upheld
Three separate allegations against Derbyshire were investigated internally but none were upheld.
It is understood the 57-year-old presenter denied all the allegations.
However, The Times reports that bosses still took steps to reprimand Derbyshire over her behaviour.
An individual with knowledge of the process said: “The line has now been drawn. It has been dealt with.”
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Not ‘black and white’
One individual claimed the situation was handled with “more than a shot across the bows”.
Meanwhile, a BBC presenter told The Times that it was not a “black and white situation”.
They added: “Depending on your attitude, you either think she is somebody who has really high expectations because she wants the programme to be the best, or you think it is too much and that she shouldn’t behave like that.”
LABOUR Party
Explained: What Burnham as PM could mean for your taxes
Andy Burnham has vowed to throw his hat into the ring to be the next Labour leader, if he wins the Makerfield by-election later this month, sparking questions over his approach to Britain’s tax policy.
Burnham to bring tax changes?
On Thursday, the Greater Manchester Mayor said he would “seek to join” any Labour leadership contest – after former health secretary Wes Streeting said he too would make a bid for Sir Keir Starmer’s job.
Much of Burnham’s agenda for Government remains vague, but there have been hints that he may propose UK tax policy changes.
Analysis
3 min read
OPINION
3 min read
What you need to know
In 2025, Burnham said there was “definitely a case” to reintroduce the 50p top rate of income tax before the end of the current Parliament. However, in an interview with The Observer last month, he appeared to back away from the idea.
Caption: WIGAN, ENGLAND – MAY 23: A “Vote Andy For Us” sign on May 23, 2026 in Wigan, England. The Makerfield by-election will take place on Thursday 18 June 2026 after Labour MP Josh Simons resigned to make way for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to run giving him a route back to Westminster. While Labour won this seat at the 2024 general election with 45.2% of the vote to Reform UK’s 31.8%, recent local council elections in May 2026 saw a shift, with Reform UK winning 49.8% of the area’s vote compared to Labour’s 24.3%. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)
Photographer: Ryan Jenkinson
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Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
Caption: WIGAN, ENGLAND – JUNE 02: Labour’s Makerfield by-election candidate, Andy Burnham speaks to the media after a meeting with residents affected by flooding at Platt Bridge Community Centre on June 02, 2026 in Wigan, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Photographer: Christopher Furlong
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
And on BBC’s Question Time, this week, Burnham suggested he was open to cutting tax by raising the income tax personal allowance, which currently sits at £12,570.
Reversing private school VAT?
If Burnham reaches No 10, he must decide whether to continue with tax moves made by Starmer and the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, including the decision to put VAT on independent school fees.
One Burnham-supporting Labour MP told The i Paper they want him to reverse the move, even though any attempt to do so would likely cause concerted opposition.
Exclusive
3 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
Other possible stances
Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham, mayor of Manchester, during the launch of the party’s general election manifesto in Manchester, UK, on Thursday, June 13, 2024. Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images
No NI hikes
Burnham says he will honour Labour’s commitment not to increase income tax, VAT or national insurance.
New care levy
He reportedly remains interested in replacing inheritance tax with a “care levy” to fund a national care service.
Doctors are receiving a 3.5 per cent headline pay rise in their June pay packets which is backdated to April (Photo: Peter Byrne/PA)
(Photo: Getty).
Council tax reform
Burnham’s northern allies are also calling for a so-called “land value tax” (LVT) to replace council tax.
Watch more from The i Paper
Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy stabbed to death in LA
US actor James Handy, who appeared in films including Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji, has been stabbed to death in Los Angeles. Here’s what we know.
Caption: CASTLE – “Under the Gun” – When a coded document hidden by a murdered bail bondsman gets Castle’s imagination running wild, Beckett must steer the case back to the violent felons who populated their victim’s world – only to discover that maybe Castle’s crazy theories aren’t so crazy after all. Complicating matters is the surprise arrival of Beckett’s ex-partner (now a bounty hunter). As the two reunite over a history that Castle has no part of, Castle is forced to watch the relationship take a turn towards the romantic, on “Castle,” MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET), on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Adam Larkey/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JAMES HANDY
Photographer: Adam Larkey
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What happened?
Police went to a north-west LA home on Wednesday morning after an emergency 911 call.
Officers responded to a report of “unknown trouble” after a caller told police: “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”
Officers found Handy stabbed in the chest and unconscious in a front garden.
The 81-year-old actor, credited in several popular films and TV dramas, was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.
Arrest made
Michael Gledhill, the son of Handy’s girlfriend, was arrested and accused of the murder.
The 44-year-old, who lives at the property in Tarzana with his mother, told officers he was “the one they were looking for,” police said.
Gledhill’s bail was set at $2m (£1.5m) and he remained in custody as of Thursday night.
Big Read
7 min read
HEALTH
How a new AI-designed vaccine
‘could protect against families of viruses’
Caption: Undated handout screengrab issued by University of Cambridge of a new vaccine technology created with the help of artificial intelligence could provide immunity against whole families of viruses and protect people from any future mutations in a single jab, according to scientists. Issue date: Friday June 5, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: University of Cambridge/PA Wire.
Photographer: University of Cambridge
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New vaccine technology, created with the help of artificial intelligence, could provide immunity against whole families of viruses and protect people from any future mutations in a single jab, scientists say.
Here is what we know.
What you need to know
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have created a “super antigen” using machine learning that analyses past and current outbreaks to determine what is essential for viruses to survive. They say the method could stop pandemics before they begin, helping to avoid lockdowns and saving millions of lives.
Newsletter (£)
7 min read
OPINION
4 min read
Shifting the paradigm
Current vaccines use antigens from specific strains of viruses that have already been detected in humans.
But a “super antigen” could bring together features that are common in a whole family of viruses.
Experts hailed the method as a “big paradigm change” to the current “reactive” system, which “struggles to keep pace” as diseases evolve.
Power Players
7 min read
A closer look at the detail
A world-first human trial has shown that a coronavirus vaccine made using the technology is safe.
It triggered an immune response to SARS, SARS-CoV-2 and related bat viruses that could potentially jump from animals to humans.
More than 200 people are set to be recruited for a phase II study.
One vaccine ‘to get them all’
What that Covid pandemic taught us is how fast we can make vaccines, but we’re still using the old paradigm. This is about making one vaccine that will get them all, based on their relationships.
professor jonathan heeney, university of cambridge’s lab of viral zoonotics
Caption: Undated handout screengrab issued by University of Cambridge of Professor Jonathan Heeney. A new vaccine technology created with the help of artificial intelligence could provide immunity against whole families of viruses and protect people from any future mutations in a single jab, according to scientists. Issue date: Friday June 5, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: University of Cambridge/PA Wire.
Photographer: University of Cambridge
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All the new revelations about Andrew in royal finances report
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been urged to pay back an “outrageous” rental income after an investigation revealed that the former prince sublet three Royal Lodge estate cottages.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Prince Andrew, The Duke of York arrives for the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. Katharine, Duchess of Kent was married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She died on September 4 at the age of 92 at Kensington Palace surrounded by her family. Having converted to Catholicism in 1994, her funeral takes place at Westminster Cathedral and is the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Her Royal Highness will be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor. (Photo Aaron Chown – Pool/Getty Images)
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Fresh controversy
Amid controversy surrounding the disgraced former duke’s lease of the Crown Estate home, the National Audit Office has published a report into the Royal Family’s residential property arrangements. It revealed that Andrew received an undisclosed private rental income, while paying only a “peppercorn” rent for his own 30-room mansion on the Windsor estate.
Exclusive
5 min read
OPINION
3 min read
Andrew’s estimated earnings
Andrew could potentially have received £180,000 a year from three cottages on the exclusive estate during his later years in Windsor, property experts estimated. Over the course of two decades, the total may have amounted to more than £2m.
Caption: Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York reacts as he arrives at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, to attend the Easter Mattins Service, on March 31, 2024. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Caption: FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows Royal Lodge, a large property on the estate surrounding Windsor Castle, which belongs to Britain’s Prince Andrew, is seen in Windsor, Britain, October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Under the arrangement, he did not have to return any money to the Crown Estate, an independent commercial operation which returns its profits to the Treasury for the benefit of taxpayers.
Did he make a profit?
Some sources have suggested that Andrew’s subletting did not generate a profit.
The rent may have been set at a rate to only cover maintenance and running costs for staff living there.
However, no figures detailing repair and household costs versus rental income have been made public.
There are also currently no publicly available copies of rental agreements for the cottages.
Analysis
5 min read
Possibly funding a ‘lavish lifestyle’
Royal observers told The i Paper that the former Duke’s rental income may help explain the funding of his “lavish lifestyle” over the years. Meanwhile, other findings by the public spending watchdog include the revelation that King Charles foots the bill for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s accommodation in royal palaces, despite both being non-working royals.
NEWS
5 min read
Big Read
8 min read
What the Palace said
We are grateful to the National Audit Office for this report, which is in line with the Royal Household’s commitment to transparency.
Buckingham Palace spokesperson
Caption: King Charles III and Queen Camilla travel in the Irish State Coach as they depart Buckingham Palace, London, to attend the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 13, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Photographer: Yui Mok
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The generous uprating system was introduced in 2010 to reduce poverty in older generations, and guarantees that the state pension increases each year with either inflation, wage increases or 2.5 per cent – whichever is highest.
High levels of inflation have seen costs balloon to around £146bn a year, which is equivalent to 5 per cent of GDP and more than double the amount spent on defence.
According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the triple lock has cost around three times more than initial expectations and will add around 1.6 per cent of GDP to the state pension bill over the next 50 years, accounting for about half of the projected overall rise in pension spending.
While there have long been murmurings from within Labour that the triple lock is unaffordable and unsustainable, many believe scrapping it would be politically toxic among older voters.
But now, growing numbers of MPs are calling for the party to position itself as a voice for younger generations, who have suffered several crises from the 2008 financial crash through to the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘This should be framed towards young people’
Labour backbencher Graeme Downie said older people should “continue to be supported”, but that his party must be “unashamed about saying we are about the next generation”.
He told The i Paper: “The triple lock costs tens of billions of pounds more than it was expected to cost, yet we still have pensioners living in poverty, which tells you that the current system isn’t working, and it’s costing too much money.
“Why not come up with a way that both supports pensioners in poverty, but also uses that money more effectively to shift to things like defence spending, and also to support the next generation as well?”
“Nothing should be off the table, frankly, for the kind of generational shift that we need to see,” he added.
Downie said that while he may be one of the only Labour MPs speaking out, dozens more agree with him privately. After calling for triple lock reform in The House – Parliament’s magazine – in April, he said “at least 20 colleagues” said they agreed with him.
The MP for Dunfermline and Dollar added that if abolishing the policy is framed as a way of supporting younger generations, there would be “a huge amount of support” in the parliamentary Labour Party.
Even pensions minister Torsten Bell – who has publicly committed to maintaining the triple lock for the rest of this Parliament – described the triple lock as “silly” while in opposition.
Some MPs are hopeful a Labour leadership contest could spark a more prominent debate about the future of the triple lock.
However, leadership hopeful and former health secretary Wes Streeting has previously defended the policy as “guaranteed” for pensioners. His potential rival and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham – who is bidding to return to Westminster in this month’s by-election – has not publicly broken with the party’s stance on keeping the policy during the current Parliament.
MPs starting to go public
Despite the sizeable hurdles in the way of MPs campaigning for the end of the triple lock, their cause was bolstered this week as former Cabinet minister Liam Byrne became the most prominent serving Labour MP to publicly admit that it should be scrapped.
Byrne, who famously left a note for his successor to say there was “no money” left when his party lost power in 2010, argued for “a gradual move from the triple lock’s ratchet effect toward a more stable uprating mechanism” in an essay for centre-right think-tank Bright Blue.
Labour’s former deputy leader, Harriet Harman, suggested in April that the Government should look at means-testing the state pension triple lock in order to raise more money for defence.
Labour Growth Group (LGG), a centrist group of MPs focused on economic growth, which was formed after Labour’s landslide victory, said the triple lock “sits in a fiscal space” that MPs feel could be better used to support working-age people.
Mark McVitie, the outgoing director of the group, said there is a “subset of MPs focused on intergenerational fairness”, who feel that the “people who worked hard deserve security, and the people working now are getting clobbered on energy, on rent, on everything”.
He told The i Paper there must be a “shared project to fix that” by demonstrating how to “bring down the structural cost base across the economy”, rather than a move to abolish the triple lock as a “stand-alone measure”.
“Try to do it without those major accompanying reforms and it fails, politically and morally,” McVitie added.
Labour MP Chris Curtis, who recently quit as LGG’s chair, said last November that the triple lock “cannot last forever” as a “mathematical fact”.
‘We need to future-proof the system’
Blair said the generosity of the triple lock was “not affordable” in the long term, while the Resolution Foundation – where Bell previously worked as chief executive – has suggested ministers “call time” on the system.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has also published extensively on the need to “reconsider the triple lock”, proposing other options for uprating pensioners’ pay in a more stable way.
Heidi Karjalainen, a senior economist at the IFS, said the Government’s Pensions Commission, launched in 2025, is trying to build consensus on the future of the state pension.
She said: “What we really need is to take the politics out of these choices, to the extent that it’s possible, and we want to think about the pension system as a whole, and then try to future-proof it.”
Hunt recently told the BBC that the triple lock is “not just unaffordable but actually immoral” as it is being partly funded by debt on younger generations.
Several other former Conservative ministers have criticised the policy for being geared towards ageing demographics, including shadow Chancellor Mel Stride and MP and former Cabinet minister Tom Tugendhat.
But former pensions minister Steve Webb said that although ministers would “love to” ditch it to free up extra money, it is politically risky.
“There are perfectly good fairness arguments, and we should do more for young people,” he said. “But from a crude electoral perspective, there aren’t many votes in taking money away from pensions and spending on young people.”
Webb added that there is a “good reason for keeping it going” with three-quarters of workers now unable to look forward to a “moderate retirement”, according to a new report by Pensions UK.
“Arguably, now is not the time to ease off on the state pension when private pension saving is so low,” he said.