May ‘plans to ditch triple lock on the state pension’

Theresa May has been accused of planning to ditch the triple lock protecting the value of state pensions, after she failed to guarantee it would feature in the Conservative manifesto.

Mrs May sparred with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in the last session of prime minister’s questions before the election.

Corbyn turned the prime minister’s claim to offer “strong and stable leadership” against her, telling MPs she was only “strong against the weak”, but was “weak against the strong”. Mrs May retorted that he was “simply not up to the job” of leading Britain.

The prime minister was put on the spot over pensions by Scottish National Party leader in Westminster Angus Robertson, who demanded to know whether she would keep the triple lock, which guarantees pensions will rise in line with inflation, average wages or 2.5% – which ever is the highest.

Mrs May replied: “I’ve been very clear that under this Conservative Government, we have seen pensioners benefit as a result of what we’ve done to the basic state pension to the tune of £1,250 a year.

“I am clear that under a Conservative government, pensioner incomes would continue to increase.”

Mr Robertson said pensioners would be “right to conclude that this Tory prime minister plans to ditch the triple lock on the state pension”. He told MPs: “The only reason that they will not guarantee it is because they want to cut pensions.”

Corbyn says May is only ‘strong against the weak’