Andy Burnham will hand younger state pensioners ยฃ313 extra cash | Personal Finance | Finance
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham will give younger state pensioners at least an extra ยฃ313 from next April thanks to the triple lock he has committed to, for those who have a full National Insurance record.
Before he took office, Mr Burnham pledged to honour the triple lock on state pensions, a pledge already included in Labour’s election manifesto from 2024.
In the lead up to his being named as the new Labour party leader, Mr Burnham confirmed he will keep the increasingly divisive triple lock pension mechanism in place, despite reports from the OBR that it is putting the UK on an “unsustainable path” due to the cost.
The triple lock is the fiscal instrument through which state pension payments are automatically increased every tax year. The “triple” refers to three elements which govern the rise: inflation, wage growth or a flat 2.5%, whichever is highest.
Earlier this month, Andy Burnham has said it is โimportantโ to continue the Labour manifesto commitment to maintain the triple lock on the state pension.
Reddit user Masam10 asked in an online Q and A: โIs it time to abolish the triple lock? Or at least have that discussion?โ
The Makerfield MP replied: โI appreciate thereโs a lot of debate about this but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands.โ
Currently, the basic state pension, for those who hit state pension age before 2016, is worth ยฃ9,614.80. It means that even if the triple lock only rises by the statutory minimum 2.5%, it will hand older state pensioners an extra ยฃ240.37 per year on their basic state pension payments, if they have a full National Insurance record, not including any additional uplifts such as second state pension.
For the younger state pensioners who hit state pension age after April 2016, the state pension is currently worth ยฃ12,547.60 per year. A minimum floor 2.5% rise on this would be worth ยฃ313.69 for these “new state pensioners” who have a full National Insurance record.
In both cases, the final confirmed figure is likely to be even higher, as wage growth and inflation are both tracking well above 2.5%.
This year, for example, new state pensioners were handed a ยฃ575 boost thanks to a 4.8% wage growth figure.