Pensioners set to escape raid on public spending

Sunak under pressure to raise all benefits in line with inflation

Rishi Sunak has been urged to raise all benefits in line with inflation as he gave one of his strongest hints yet that “triple lock” protection for state pensions will be kept in Thursday’s autumn statement. But the PM is under great pressure as Ryan Shorthouse of the Conservative think tank Bright Blue said: “It is intellectually indefensible to protect the value of the state pension in line with inflation but not universal credit.”