𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The seat is a must-win for Labour if it wants to retain power at the next General Election. Since its re-creation in 1983, the constituency has been won by the party victorious in national polls, and so it can be considered a bellwether. The Labour incumbent, Sarah Edwards, whose constituency office I spotted on the way to the town centre from the railway station, has a 1,382-vote majority.

The former regional official for the Unite union and ex-governor for the NHS was first elected in October 2023 after her Conservative predecessor, Chris Pincher, resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct — a scandal that helped bring down former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Over and over again, people vented their anger over this Government’s approach to pensions.

Roland Slaney, 71, has a miner’s pension, which takes him above the income tax personal allowance threshold of £12,500. He has unsuccessfully tried to get pension credit.

Another local, Wendy, 74, who did not wish to give her surname, asked: “Why take it out on the pensioners?” She then called Mr Burnham “a load of rubbish”, adding: “Why is he taking it out on the pensioners? Why can’t we get our rise? The £12,500 threshold, that should go higher. We rely on [the triple lock] to go up with inflation.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got nothing.” When asked if the change will have consequences for him at the next election, Wendy said: “It will do.” She added that pensioners have “been punished that much”. There is a reason why Governments have not, as the Prime Minister puts it, grasped the triple lock nettle, as some warn that its cost is unsustainable.

Albert Peel, 84, used to work in a tool factory. He said of Mr Burnham: “Look at him now, taking all our pension off us.” Some elderly people are genuinely concerned about what the PM’s plan will mean for them in future years, as the security provided by the triple lock could disappear, were Labour to form the next government.

The Prime Minister insists that they would be adequately supported, but the fear about what it could mean for people with a limited income is bound to put them off voting for the red team next time round.