EXCLUSIVE: The party appears at odds over whether it will retain the pensions Triple Lock, after Nigel Farage suggested he could ditch it at Davos.
Robert Jenrick said he wants the pensions Triple Lock to remain in place, even though the benefit could be scrapped by Reform UK. The former Tory MP, who defected to Nigel Farage’s party last week, said people deserve “dignity and security” in old age.
His remarks, during an appearance on our weekday news show the Daily Expresso, came on the same day that Mr Farage said the future of the policy is “up for discussion”. Asked about his new leader’s comments by host JJ Anisiobi, the former Cabinet Minister said: “It’s very important to me that people have dignity and security in old age. I’ve got two elderly parents, and I want to make sure that people like them never have to worry.”
He said that many elderly people are “struggling” because of rising energy bills at the moment.
“I represent many of those people. I don’t represent a wealthy part of the country, and there are lots of older people who find the last years of their life tough, and unlike the rest of us, they can’t just go out and do some more hours or try and get a different job or set up a sort of side hustle to make a bit more money,” he said.
“They’ve got a fixed income. So I do think it’s very important that we protect them in old age, and that is the role the triple lock has played in recent years.”
Pressed again if he would be in favour of keeping the Triple Lock, he added: “Yeah, that has been Reform’s policy, and that’s been my long standing view as well.”
The Triple Lock guarantees that the state pension rises in line with average earnings, inflation or 2.5% each year.
It was introduced by the Tory-led Coalition government and has helped ease pensioner poverty in the UK.
Both Labour and the Conservatives have said they are committed to the Triple Lock.
But Mr Farage, speaking at a Bloomberg interview on Thursday in Davos, said that the Triple Lock, along with every other current government policy, is “up for discussion”.
Dennis Reed of Silver Voices issued a stark warning to Nigel Farage (Image: Daily Star/Andy Stenning)
“My main target of cuts is excessive welfare spending,” he said.
“I get the argument of the triple lock [that it’s too dear], it’s something we’ll come to over time.
“You can’t blame young people for being pretty cheesed off in Britain, because they can’t even aspire to have the thing their parents or grandparents have, and that’s a real, real problem.”
The Express has campaigned tirelessly to protect the Triple Lock.
The Office for Budget Responsibility says the triple lock has pushed up the spending on the state pension by £12billion a year, compared to if it had been uprated in line with average earnings.
The UK’s ageing population means this is likely to rise significantly from the 2050s onwards.
Dennis Reed, director of the Silver Voices campaign group, said: “Nigel Farage is flirting with dynamite by calling the future of the Triple Lock into question.
“The votes of the large number of pensioners who currently support Reform UK cannot be taken for granted. Lazy support for the anti-pensioner lobby would see his lead in the polls slide dramatically.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said she does not want to scrap the Triple Lock “now” but said “lets see what mess Labour leaves for us”.
During a previous episode of Expresso, Sir Mel Stride vowed the Conservative Party will “stand by” it.
But prominent Tory MPs Sir Edward Leigh and Tom Tugendhat have criticised the policy.
