Andy Burnham Says He Will Scrap Triple Lock To Fund Social Care After General Election
Andy Burnham spoke to conference in Liverpool on Tuesday (Alamy)
6 min read
Andy Burnham has pledged to reform the pension triple lock after the next general election to fund a new social care system.
It is one of several announcements the Prime Minister made in his Labour Party conference speech in Liverpool.
He also said he would launch a national commission on changing the voting system, and look at pursuing closer ties with the European Union.
Burnham said he would use his first conference speech as PM to "break the mold", saying that "more of the same isn’t good enough" to get the country back on track.
He said he would “make a break with the direction of the past 40 years" and create a Britain “where people feel the country has got their back again. A Britain for everyone, no matter who we are or where we're born, we would be unstoppable, and we will be.”
Burnham paid tribute to his predecessor Keir Starmer “for the historic victory he achieved for us” at the 2024 general election, before going on to pledge a series of changes that he claimed his generation of politicians had not been brave enough to tackle up to now.
Social care
One of Burnham's biggest pledges was creating a new National Care Service, to be introduced in the next Parliament, which he claimed was “a landmark policy, as significant as the creation of the NHS itself, and utterly essential to securing its future.”
The PM said his generation of politicians was guilty of "cowardice" for not fixing the issues facing the social care system.
He said he was prepared to take a hit to his popularity to reform the system, saying “someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off”.
Addressing social care workers from the stage, Burnham said: “You are not invisible to me. I see you. I thank you, and I am sorry that my profession has let down yours for so long. I promise you, I won't leave this job without doing everything I can to change.”
Burnham set out a vision for “a person-centred, high-quality care service that starts in the home”. He said it would be “a system in the best traditions of this party, where everyone contributes, and everyone is covered, free at the point of use, and no care charges paid out of your basic state pension".
Triple lock reform
To help fund his social care plans, Burnham said he would reform the pension triple lock after the next general election.
As things stand, pensions increase in line with whatever is largest out of inflation, wages and 2.5 per cent.
However, Burnham said he would alter the policy to remove wages from 2030.
There have been growing calls for the triple lock to be phased out from critics who argue it not sustainable in the long term.
However, it will be seen as a risky move for Burnham as he seeks re-election, given it will impact large swathes of the public.
Electoral reform
Burnham, a long-term supporter of replacing First Past The Post with a more proportional voting system, announced that he would launch a national commission to look at changing the electoral system in England.
He said that Labour's next general election manifesto would contain a commitment "to change the electoral system so that everyone's vote counts, and everyone's voice is heard."
"We can't succeed in the eyes of the world if we continue with the levels of political turbulence we have seen in recent times," he told conference.
Water reform
The PM said the state of the country's water industry “is a symbol of what has gone wrong in Britain”.
Referring to the privatisation of infrastructure, Burnham said: “The British right talk about taking back control. Never let them forget. They are the ones that gave it away in the first place.”
He announced that Environment Secretary would present a "strengthened" water legislation to Parliament which would repeal former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's ban on public ownership of water companies, a move he said “will start a 10-year journey to a very different water system.”
Eagle hinted that government action on Thames Water was coming earlier this week, telling the PoliticsHome podcast The Rundown that "the status quo is not an option".
Under the changes, mayors will have new powers to hold water companies to account, with tougher consequences for those which repeatedly fail. The PM said that the government will also “close the loopholes used to pay excessive bonuses” to water bosses.
Housing
Burnham announced in his speech that he would pass legislation to make it easier for homes to be reclaimed from negligent landlords.
He said that negligent landlords would face losing those properties if they did not respond to warnings to improve: "If they refuse, we will make it much easier for councils to acquire those homes and we will legislate if necessary."
"We don't let people sell food which damages health, so why allow it with homes from now on? We won't”, Burnham pledged.
Ahead of the conference in Liverpool, Burnham announced a new homes scheme for first-time buyers, saying: “Too many young people are struggling with housing, with many giving up hope on ever having a home to call their own."
Energy reforms
Burnham also announced the creation of Great British Energy: Great British Grid.
The new grid, he said, will be a “publicly owned company that will challenge the private sector operators", "increase competition, drive down costs, and speed up connections, so businesses can expand and grow more quickly."
He also pledged to get down energy prices by "reforming a broken energy market" to better serve the public interest.
"I have asked Miatta Fahnbulleh [the Energy Secretary] to speed up the breaking of the link between what we pay for power at home and the international gas market to get bills down."
There were also hints made about the potential for controversial North Sea drilling, with Burnham saying he would be "pragmatic" about the situation, "as we build a bridge to a clean energy future and face the climate crisis".
Education and welfare reform
Burnham also pledged to reform the education and welfare systems to tackle youth unemployment.
On education reform, Burnham said the government would “rebuild a system of comprehensive education in this country. country. With parity between academic and technical, with [Education Secretary] Lucy Powell leading the way.”
Burnham said that the reforms would provide “good quality pathways for all from 14, and the right support for our young people when they need it-a 45-day work placement between 16 and 18, an apprenticeship at 18, and no long waits anymore for mental health support growing up.”
“We will need a fundamental rethink of the welfare system to find the money for these opportunities upfront,” Burnham said.
Future relationship with EU
In the final part of his speech, Burnham hinted at closer alignment with the European Union, a decade after the public voted to leave.
The Labour government has sought closer ties with the bloc since being elected in 2024.
However, speaking on Tuesday, Burnham said he would use a UK-EU summit later this year to produce a series of options for Britain's long-term relationship with the bloc that he would present to the public.
"I will see if we can find consensus around one, which will give us clarity about our position and the future of the continent that we live in."
