Keir Starmer gives state pension update amid calls to tear up ‘unsustainable’ triple lock

The Commons erupted today as Prime Minister Keir Starmer locked horns with opposition leader Kemi Badenoch in a heated debate over pensions and taxes that laid bare Britain’s growing economic divides.

Starmer stood firm on protecting the state pension triple lock despite mounting concerns about its affordability, declaring: “This guarantee remains rock-solid under our government.” His defiant stance came after weeks of speculation about potential cuts, with critics warning the costly mechanism risks becoming unsustainable as Britain’s aging population grows.

The opposition leader fired back with a blistering attack, accusing Labour of “stealing Conservative policies while hiking taxes on workers.” Badenoch’s sharpest barbs focused on Labour’s National Insurance increases set to take effect this weekend, which she warned would force businesses into impossible choices. “From Sunday, employers across Britain face an agonizing decision – slash wages, hike prices, or lay off staff,” she charged across the dispatch box.

The Prime Minister countered by framing his government as responsible stewards cleaning up after Tory economic disasters. “They lecture us about sound finances after the Truss budget crashed the economy?” Starmer retorted to loud Labour cheers. “We’re the ones making tough calls to stabilize this country after years of Conservative chaos.”

Badenoch doubled down with explosive claims about household finances, asserting Labour’s policies would leave families £3,500 worse off – a figure the PM dismissed as “fantasy economics worthy of Liz Truss’s infamous spreadsheet.” The exchange grew increasingly personal as Starmer mocked his opponent’s inability to specify which budget measures she would reverse.

Political analysts note this clash signals a hardening of battle lines ahead of what promises to be a brutal autumn of economic debates. With inflation stubbornly high and public finances stretched, both leaders appear to be digging in for prolonged warfare over Britain’s fiscal future. The triple lock – once a rare area of cross-party consensus – has now become the latest flashpoint in Britain’s increasingly polarized political landscape.