Burnham's free social care plan could see triple lock axed as Labour MPs warn of political peril

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026.

Andy Burnham is preparing to include a national care service in Labour's next general election manifesto, and Labour MPs fear he may be willing to sacrifice the state pension triple lock to fund it. Chancellor John Healey declined to rule out scrapping the guarantee when pressed, stating only that welfare costs need to come down. A former cabinet minister has openly described axing the triple lock as "an option the Government should consider", while a junior minister cautioned that the care plan "isn't going to be cheap". Burnham has conceded that difficult funding choices lie ahead and is pushing for cross-party agreement on the issue.

The triple lock ensures state pension increases of at least 2.5% annually and is formally set to lapse at the end of this Parliament.

Reform's leadership regards the triple lock as a key dividing line with Labour, cautioning that any action against pensioners would hand them a powerful weapon.

When Theresa May floated a comparable pensioner trade-off in 2017 — dubbed the 'dementia tax' — the Tories promptly lost their majority.