𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andy Burnham has been warned that abolishing the pensions triple lock is “not a done deal” ahead of the Budget. The Daily Express organised a mass protest, in partnership with over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, outside Parliament on Wednesday moments before Chancellor John Healey’s maiden Budget.

Angry pensioners vowed to keep fighting to protect the measure, with tens of thousands of people signing a petition against the move. Dennis Reed, of Silver Voice, said: “The message we’re trying to get across to Andy Burnham and the government today is that scrapping the triple lock is not a done deal.”

The Prime Minister has faced mounting fury over plans to axe the triple lock.

Campaign group Silver Voices relaunched its petition when Mr Burnham announced changes to the policy, effective after the next general election, to help pay for his social care reform plan.

Under Mr Burnham’s proposals, the state pension would rise each year by inflation or by 2.5%, with the automatic link to earnings increases dropped.

But 30,000 people have signed Silver Voices’ petition in just over a week, in a sign of anger over the plans. Dennis Reed, the group’s director, said: “Older people have seen through the ‘deal’ offered by Andy Burnham – ‘adjust the triple lock and I will give you free social care’.

Critics have argued that the triple lock is unaffordable in the long term.

But those in favour insist that the measure is needed to protect pensioners against the rising cost of living.

In his Labour conference speech Mr Burnham said: “This change will generate significant savings which we will use to build up our National Care Service. Some may not realise it but older people with nothing more than the state pension, or only a little more, can find themselves paying care charges today from that small income. “Under my plan, this will no longer happen.” The Daily Express’s Save Our PensionTriple Lock crusade has fought to keep the vital measure.