Andy Burnham planning £3,005 less for state pensioners aged over 73

Andy Burnham's commitment to maintain the Triple Lock for state pensions threatens to widen the disparity between payment rates for pensioners aged over 73. The new full state pension is claimed by men born after 1951 aged 75 and above and women born after 1953, which means aged 73 and above. A 2.5 per cent hike, which is the minimum the pension can increase by, will result in £12,860 payments for the new rate but the basic rate will rise to just £9,855, creating a £3,005 difference between the two groups.

Burnham confirmed his commitment to the Triple Lock in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. When asked whether it was time to abolish the metric or have a conversation about its removal, he responded: "I appreciate there's a lot of debate about this but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands." The Labour manifesto states the party will retain the triple lock for the state pension, which raises the annual pension by whichever is highest out of inflation, average earnings for working people, or 2.5 per cent.

Beyond the Triple Lock, Burnham is returning the Winter Fuel Allowance to state pensioners. Under the 2026-27 scheme, households will receive an automatic payment of either £200 per household or £300 where there is someone over 80 in the household. The DWP has confirmed the Winter Fuel Payment will return to everyone in England and Wales born before 1960 this winter.

The Prime Minister has also confirmed that pensioners whose sole income is the basic or new state pension will not have to pay small amounts of tax via simple assessment from 2027-28 if their pension exceeds the personal allowance from that point. This followed the government's announcement in the 2025 Budget that the personal allowance would be frozen at its current level up to April 2031, a measure previously introduced by the Treasury.