Keith Sutton, a 68-year-old former bus and coach driver from Redruth, Cornwall, has said he will be “doomed” if the Government scraps the state pension triple lock, warning that his living standards will completely collapse under Labour's proposed changes.
Mr Sutton, who cares for his wife Kim, 63, said pensioners have been “abandoned” and “forgotten” by the Government. He said: “Under this Government, pensioners are the little people who have been abandoned, left on their own. I feel we have all been forgotten.”
He added: “My state pension has to keep the house running, pay ever-increasing energy costs, buy food and pay bills. If the Government abolishes the triple lock, I am doomed.”
Plans for an 'adjusted triple lock'
Currently, the state pension increases each April by the highest of inflation, 2.5% or average earnings. But under plans announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham from 2030, it will rise either in line with prices, or 2.5% each year, whichever is higher – but it will not rise in line with earnings unless its value has fallen behind. In that case, it will be adjusted to keep pace.
Labour has called the policy on which it will fight the next general election an “adjusted triple lock”, but critics claim it is proof the party views pensioners – who collectively make up one fifth of the electorate – as expendable, coming after it tried to scrap the Winter Fuel Allowance.
A life of struggle
Mr Sutton, who toiled behind the wheel for 50 years, said he feels pensioners like him have been cast aside in favour of those who feel they are entitled to a litany of taxpayer handouts. He now lives mortgage-free in Redruth, where he cares for his wife, who is unable to work because she has suffered three heart attacks and has crippling arthritis.
She is entitled to £255 a month in Universal Credit, but the bulk of their income comes from Keith's state pension, which totals £965.20 and is paid every 28 days. He has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, so he also qualifies for Attendance Allowance, which totals £306.80 and is also paid every 28 days.
Mr Sutton admitted that life is a struggle and is becoming harder, saying: “Everything is hand to mouth - there is no help - and this after I paid into the system all my life.” He added: “The price of goods and services is going up, but my pension isn't. Some days I just don't know how we are going to survive.”
Kim, a former chef, said: “We buy the cheapest of the cheap food-wise and stretch meals so they last two or three days. We grow our own vegetables to save costs too. We can see our money dwindling away before our eyes - £100 today is not worth anywhere near what it was, even compared to last year. Our house is oil-heated - and that has quadrupled in price - 500 litres used to last six months. Now we turn the heating off and make 10 bags of coal last two weeks.”
Campaign to protect the triple lock
The Daily Express has a long-running campaign to protect the triple lock. The policy – which sees the state pension rise by the highest out of earnings growth, inflation and 2.5% – is a lifeline for many pensioners surviving on modest incomes. The newspaper launched its Save Our Pension Triple Lock crusade in 2022, calling on all political parties to back the measure. At the last General Election in 2024, all the main parties committed to keeping the triple lock in a major victory.
The triple lock was introduced in 2011 by the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition Government to address rising pensioner poverty caused by linking state pensions only to prices. In 1979, the state pension was worth 26% of average earnings, but the link with wages was cut in 1980 and before the triple lock, it had plunged to 16% of average earnings. The mechanism reversed the fall and the full new state pension – £241.30 a week or £12,547.60 a year – is equal to roughly 30% of median full-time pay.
In one of its first acts after winning the 2024 General Election, Labour axed annual cold weather cash payments, saying only those in receipt of Pension Credit would get it. It meant that instead of cash being automatically paid to 10.8 million pensioners in England and Wales, the number of recipients was slashed to 1.5 million. Despite an outcry, the lump sum, introduced by former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown and given to all pensioners since 1997, was scrapped and only those passing a means-test were able to qualify.
Mr Sutton is fearful of what could be announced in next week's Budget. He said: “People wouldn't have the society we have today if it wasn't for us, but all I see coming out of the Labour Party is attacks on pensioners. It's appalling. I cannot claim Pension Credit as she is of working age but cannot work. I would love to see Andy Burnham or anyone else in this pensioner-bashing Government live on what we do, even with the triple lock in place. If it is abolished, it really will be a case of do I keep warm or do I eat a decent meal?”
The Treasury said: “As has always been the case, the Chancellor will set out his decisions at the Budget, rather than routinely commenting on rumour, speculation or proposals.”
