Andy Burnham’s vow to keep the triple lock has not put off Labour MPs who want the party to ditch the current state pension increase mechanism.
The man hoping to replace Sir Keir Starmer at No 10 told The i Paper that it would be “very damaging” to scrap the party’s manifesto promise to maintain the triple lock.
However, some frustrated Labour backbenchers insist the policy is “unaffordable” – however unpopular ending it would be with pensioners.
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Multi-millionaire banker arrested in hunt for ‘Putney Pusher’
The arrest at the suspect’s West London home comes nine years after a woman was pushed in front of a bus on Putney Bridge.
Caption: The Metropolitan Police have issued this picture of a jogger they wish to interview in connection with an incident in May on Putney Bridge, west London, in which he appears to push a woman into the path of a bus. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday August 8, 2017. See PA story POLICE Putney. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in 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: Metropolitan Police
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Source: PA
Copyright: METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE
Suspect is former army officer with medals for service
The 44-year-old man was arrested at his £1.4m home in connection with an incident in which a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on 5 May 2017.
The woman was able to escape uninjured and footage of the incident went viral as police searched for the man, who was out jogging.
The Government has increased the bus fare cap for the first time since it was launched for most routes two years ago (Photo: PA)
OPINION
4 min read
Why has the investigation taken so long?
Caption: A Metropolitan Police Officer stands in the rain outside the Houses of Parliament in London on May 13, 2026, during the State Opening of Parliament. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JUSTIN TALLIS
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
An appeal was launched from CCTV footage taken on the bus.
Police interviewed 50 men and arrested three. None were charged.
With no further leads, the investigation closed in 2018.
POLITICS
4 min read
Watch more from The i Paper
Ten years after Brexit, is Britain having second thoughts? New polling from Ipsos and King’s College London suggests support for another Brexit referendum extends well beyond traditional Remain voters, with some Leave and Reform UK supporters also backing a fresh vote. As frustrations over Brexit’s impact grow, the findings reveal a country that remains deeply divided over its future relationship with Europe. #Brexit #EU #BrexitReferendum #Reform
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Caption: Mandatory Credit: Photo by Peter Lea/Shutterstock (12657837a)
Special TV investigative journalist Roger Cook pictured at the Central TV studios, Birmingham.
Special TV investigative journalist Roger Cook pictured at the Central TV studios, Birmingham, UK – 27 Dec 1994
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news
ITV broadcaster Roger Cook dies aged 83
Investigative journalist Roger Cook, best known for current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died aged 83 after a short illness.
His family’s statement
Alongside a distinguished and award-winning career in journalism, Roger was first and foremost a beloved husband and father. He will be deeply missed by all of us, and we ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult loss.
Caption: Editorial use only
Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (509208qp)
ROGER COOK IN ‘THE COOK REPORT’ – 1998
ITV ARCHIVE
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Who was Roger Cook?
The New Zealand-born journalist hosted The Cook Report on ITV for 12 years, winning a Bafta special award in 1997. Its audience peaked at 12 million viewers in the UK.
Police have yet to launch a criminal investigation into the worst treatment disaster in NHS history (Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP)
Caption: File photo dated 29/04/13 of investigative journalist Roger Cook at Our Lady Of Compassion Church, Formby, Merseyside for the funeral of Hillsborough Campaigner Anne Williams. The investigative journalist, best known for current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died aged 83, his family said in a statement. Issue date: Monday June 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Photographer: Peter Byrne
Provider: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Source: PA
Copyright: PA Wire
The programme uncovered miscarriages of justice and cover-ups which helped change UK law and prompted inquiries, including the infected blood scandal. Cook and his crew also travelled the world exposing drug dealing, people smuggling and war criminals.
US President Donald Trump has signed a peace deal with Iran. (Picture: Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images)
news
Everything we know as Trump says Iran peace deal is complete
The US and Iran have agreed a framework deal to end the war, which mediator Pakistan says will be signed on Friday in Switzerland.
US President Donald Trump says that as part of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened.
Iran confirms ceasefire agreed
Iran’s deputy foreign minister has said the country signed a deal after talks concluding last week, claiming it will include an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.
The official signing ceremony will take place on Friday in Switzerland, with the Memorandum of Understanding to be published then.
Caption: Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon close to the Beaufort Castle as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, on June 8, 2026. Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing days earlier of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Israel responded with heavy strikes and a ground invasion. Iran insists a halt to the broader Middle East conflict must include a ceasefire in Lebanon, and on June 7 fired missiles at Israel in response to Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier in the day. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images) /
Photographer: JALAA MAREY
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
OPINION
4 min read
What about the Strait of Hormuz?
Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman (Photo: Stringer/Reuters)
Trump said he had authorised “the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz”. However, Iran said the strait would open within 30 days “under Iranian arrangements”.
Both sides would lift blockades for mine-clearing.
LIVE
1 min read
Will Iran get rid of its nuclear enrichment facilities?
This was one of Trump’s priorities going into the war, and he claimed on Saturday that the US would destroy Iran’s stockpiled uranium.
However, Iran has indicated it will deal with the stockpile itself, with the deal rumoured to contain only a commitment not to develop a nuclear weapon. This is the same as Iran’s official position before the war.
NEWS
4 min read
WORLD
6 min read
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Children as young as four are being left alone in school “seclusion rooms” for hours at a time, with some developing suicidal thoughts and self-harm behaviours, an investigation by this newspaper has found. The i Paper has seen 100 detailed accounts of children placed in isolation spaces which suggest these rooms are routinely used to punish rather than protect pupils, particularly those with autism and ADHD.
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news
What UK needs to fight Putin but isn’t getting
Britain is operating a “Swiss cheese” military which urgently needs to close gaps in its capabilities – ranging from threadbare munitions stockpiles to rebuilding the Royal Navy – if it is to be able to confront Vladimir Putin by 2030 and beyond, according to defence insiders.
Outgoing defence secretrary warns Russia could attack in 2030
In an incendiary resignation letter, John Healey repeated back at Keir Starmer the PM’s warning over Russia’s readiness, and implied the UK was not ready to meet such an attack.
Insiders say the UK’s defences are “piecemeal” and need urgent bolstering to ensure the safety of the nation.
Caption: (FILE PHOTO) John Healey Resigns as UK Defence Secretary LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 22: Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey attends a press conference following a deal on the Chagos Islands at Northwood Military Headquarters on May 22, 2025, in London, England. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he had signed an agreement to return the remote Chagos Islands to Mauritius in return for continued use of a key military base. (Photo by Thomas Krych – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Photographer: WPA Pool
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
OPINION
1 min read
What we need
Experts detail ‘military priorities’ for defence
Munitions factories
A stockpile of 7,000 missiles and projectiles, manufactured in the UK.
6G fighter jets
The RAF must replace its ageing fleet with new, expensive high-tech planes.
25 destroyers
The Royal Navy also needs submarines and drones.
Big Read
9 min read
UK needs an ‘Iron Dome’ for air defence
Functionally speaking, the UK has nothing remotely close to a comprehensive air defence system. We can defend effectively against small-scale, targeted attacks and we can ask allies to intercept incoming missiles that track over their territory.
A defence source
Caption: KHERSON, UKRAINE – APRIL 5: Police officers from the special unit “Kavuny” (“Watermelons”) inspect the sky and use a drone with an ordinary stick attached to it to knock down Russian Mavic 3-type drones in Kherson, on April 5, 2026 in Kherson, Ukraine. Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces has intensified around the frontline port city of Kherson in recent days, with reports of Russian drone attacks targeting civilians. (Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
Photographer: Libkos
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Back to basics
Experts also urged a recruitment push, with a shortfall of around 8,500 personnel across the three services, equivalent to about six per cent of the total. Job satisfaction is low among serving members.
British soldiers watch a Ghost drone – which can be piloted remotely from anywhere in the world – in Finland near the Russian border. Insiders warn procurement of kit is piecemeal due to the delayed defence spending blueprint (Photo: Ben Birchall/PA)
Caption: LARGS, SCOTLAND – FEBRUARY 27: In this handout image provided by MoD Crown Copyright, HMS Vengeance departs for Devonport prior to re-fit on Ferbruary 27, 2012 off the coast of Largs, Scotland. The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded UK’s leading naval support business Babcock, on March 25, 2012, with a contract to commence the planning phase for the ??350 million GBP refit of Trident ballistic missile submarine HMS Vengeance, which will be undertaken at their Devonport Royal Dockyard. The project to upgrade and refuel the nuclear submarine will safeguard 2,000 UK jobs and will take around three and a half years. River Tamar shipping was suspended when the the 150m-long, 15,900-tonne submarine HMS Vengeance travelled to the Devonport Dockyard ahead of the scheduled refit on March 2, 2012, arriving amid concerns without a signed contract for the refit. HMS Vengeance will be the last of four Vanguard class submarines to undergo a Lond Overhaul Period and Refuel LOP(R) at Davernport that will commence once HMS Vigilant leaves Devonport on completion of her LOP(R) in 2012. Mandatory Credit: (Photo by Andrew Linnett/MoD Crown Copyright via Getty Images)
Photographer: Handout
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: MOD Crown Copyright 2012
Long-delayed projects such as the Ajax armoured vehicle programme need to be abandoned or completed, say experts, with current plans to replace the nuclear deterrents and missiles accounting for a quarter of the future defence budget.
news
Why prom costs ‘around £150 more for girls than boys’
Murphy’s film might be set around the very American rite-of-passage that is the high school prom, but its core message of tolerance will likely resonate globally (Photo: MELINDA SUE GORDON/NETFLIX)
A new survey has revealed how much parents, grandparents and teenagers themselves spend on end-of-school celebrations, from outfits to transport.
Parents of girls pay the price
Girls are significantly more expensive than boys when it comes to preparations for the big night, with parents spending an average of £392 on girls – £157 more than the average of £235 for boys.
According to a new survey by OnePoll, typical costs can include tickets to the party, travel, clothes, make-up, accessories and professional styling.
OPINION
3 min read
NEWS
3 min read
Why is spending so high?
Social media has made spending more competitive
68%
of parents agree. Forty per cent say they feel judged by other parents for their spending.
But parents generally don’t regret the cost, with…
76%
saying seeing their child dressed up is worth every penny.
Most parents also agreed prom was an important celebration to be done properly.
How are families managing the cost?
Other family members are helping out, with 19 per cent receiving support from grandparents and 14 per cent from aunts and uncles. Teenagers themselves contribute in 12 per cent of cases.
(Photo: Getty)
Half of the record 9,000 arrests for illegal working in the last year were in the restaurant, distribution and beauty industries (Photo: Getty)
Two-fifths of parents set a budget and stick to it, while 21 per cent do hair, make-up or nails at home to save. Just 14 per cent bought pre-owned outfits for the day.
Watch more from The i Paper
Patients waiting decades for hypermobility diagnosis
New figures have revealed long wait times for diagnosis of the complex disease, which requires assessment by several experts in different medical fields.
Charlotte Colombo: ‘As soon as you feel like you’re getting somewhere, another barrier pops up.’ (Photo: BongkarnThanyakij
via Getty Images/ iStockphoto)
What is hypermobility?
Joint hypermobility syndrome is when you have very flexible joints (you may think of yourself as being double-jointed).
It usually affects children and young people and often gets better as you get older.
Female radiologist helping patient in medical x-ray scanner – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
NEWS
3 min read
What are the symptoms?
You often get tired, even after rest.
You keep getting pain and stiffness in your joints or muscles.
You keep getting sprains and strains.
You keep dislocating your joints (they “pop out”).
You have poor balance or co-ordination.
You have thin, stretchy skin.
WELLBEING
7 min read
How long are people waiting?
Hypermobility patients can face waits of up to…
21 years
to receive a diagnosis, according to a new survey of 2,000 patients.
Many reported leaving the country for diagnosis, including…
39%
of Northern Irish respondents, 37 per cent of Welsh and 17 per cent of Scottish patients.
Those in England were less likely to need to travel abroad for diagnosis.
A closer look at the study
The study also found that people with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) face fragmented healthcare. At the same time, it can have a major impact on their mental health, education and employment.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
Analysis
3 min read
This study highlights the profound impact hEDS and HSD can have across every aspect of life. Our findings show the urgent need for equitable, multidisciplinary care pathways that recognise the complex and multisystemic nature of these conditions.
Kathryn Berg, trial and research manager at the university of edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics and Cancer
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 1300 SUNDAY MAY 31
File photo dated 18/01/23 of a general view of staff on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London. A once-daily pill helped almost double survival time for patients with an aggressive and advanced form of pancreatic cancer when compared to chemotherapy, a trial has found. The drug also caused fewer side-effects, with experts hailing daraxonrasib as “landscape -changing” for people with the disease. Issue date: Sunday May 31, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jeff Moore/PA Wire
Photographer: Jeff Moore
Provider: Jeff Moore/PA Wire
Source: PA
One Labour MP said there was too much fear of losing older voters, telling The i Paper: “We don’t need to be so afraid.”
Burnham makes vow ahead of vital by-election
The triple lock policy states that the state pension rises every year in line with inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5 per cent – whichever is highest.
Fighting to keep Reform UK at bay at Thursday’s crunch by-election in Makerfield, Burnham has said Labour must honour its manifesto pledge to keep the lock for the rest of the current Parliament.
In an exclusive interview with The i Paper, the Mayor of Greater Manchester warned that to “tear up the manifesto commitments on the triple lock” would be “very damaging”.
Burnham faces a tough task to defeat Reform in Makerfield (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty)
It defies a growing chorus of voices – including from former prime minister Sir Tony Blair and Labour’s cost of living tsar and Iceland boss Lord Richard Walker – who say it is no longer “affordable”.
Labour MPs who agree with Blair are frustrated that comments by Burnham could push a triple lock replacement further into the distance.
However, they still hope there is growing momentum behind calls to start to reform the state pension beyond the general election expected in 2028 or 2029.
‘There is fear of losing older voters’
“[Burnham] says that now, but he could shift in future,” one Labour MP said. “To be fair he has a by-election to win – so I don’t blame him for saying it.
“There’s nothing to stop us saying: ‘We’re protecting it in this Parliament, but we’ve commissioned a big study to look at it for the next Parliament and the future’.”
“There is fear of losing older voters. We don’t need to be so afraid. It’s the right thing to do,” they added.
“You can try to make the argument and say: ‘This is how we’ll support you if you’re [a pensioner] in poverty in a way that’s affordable and sustainable’. Pretending it’s not a problem isn’t an option forever.”
One Labour MP, also keen to replace the triple lock, said they understood why it was politically necessary for Burnham to uphold the 2024 pledge. “It was a manifesto commitment, so it should be protected.”
But the MP still hopes there can be a debate about dropping the triple lock commitment in the next Labour general election manifesto.
They want a discussion about finding a cheaper mechanism to increase the state pension. “We have to win the argument on scrapping it [the triple lock] and outline the benefits for all.”
Asked about the idea of losing pensioner votes, the MP added: “It’s a risk – it’s why politicians won’t do it.”
Breaking pledge would be ‘politically disastrous’
Another Labour MP, who is keen to reform the triple lock, said it was “very sensible” for Burnham to uphold the 2024 commitment.
Breaking it now “after the winter fuel debacle would be politically disastrous”, they said – referring to the botched attempt to scrap pensioners’ universal winter fuel payments.
The figure still hopes for a debate on the triple lock, but accepts that changing the mechanism may be a gradual process.
“Triple lock reform – it’s not abolition as it might need to stay for low-income pensioners – is a long-term project.”
The Labour Growth Group (LGG), a centrist group of MPs, recently said money going to the triple lock could be better used on working-age people – describing it as a matter of “intergenerational fairness”.
Chris Curtis, co-chair of the LGG, has said the triple lock “inevitably cannot last forever”. His backbench colleague Graeme Downie said older people should “continue to be supported” – but that Labour must be “unashamed about saying we are about the next generation”.
Burnham faces calls to keep triple lock into 2030s
However, former pensions minister Steve Webb has argued there is a good case for keeping the triple lock for “at least another couple of Parliaments”.
The former Lib Dem minister previously said it was brought in to “undo 30 years of damage” to the state pension after it fell far behind wage increases.
Ditching the guarantee would be highly politically risky, Webb also warned. “There aren’t many votes in taking money away from pensions and spending on young people.”
Left-wing Labour MPs backing Burnham oppose any move to abandon the triple lock. Kim Johnson, the MP for Liverpool Riverside, said many old voters already felt “abandoned” by the winter fuel fiasco.
Burnham’s commitment was “very welcome”, said Dennis Reed, director of the Silver Voices pensioner campaign group.
“We would like him to commit to protecting it throughout the next Parliament,” added Reed, who said he was “distressed” by the recent flurry of calls to scrap the triple lock.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) recently proposed that once the state pension has hit a certain percentage of average earnings, the triple lock should be abandoned and state pension increases kept in line with average earnings.
A Government spokesperson said: “Supporting pensioners is a priority and we have committed to the triple lock for the rest of this Parliament.”