Burnham vows triple lock overhaul to fund care
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham outlines plans to scrap the pension triple lock, boost public water control and rethink the electoral system.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first Labour Party conference speech to unveil a sweeping reform agenda that would scrap the state pension triple lock and redirect the savings into a new NHS‑style national care service.
Speaking to delegates in Liverpool, the newly‑elected leader framed the proposals as a reversal of the Thatcher‑era policies that, in his view, have left Britain “run for vested interests, not in the public interest”.
Burnham said the triple lock – which guarantees pension rises at the highest of inflation, earnings growth or 2.5% – would be ended from 2030, with future increases linked only to inflation or a minimum 2.5% uplift.
He added that the system would still allow higher rises in years when earnings outpace inflation, ensuring retirees do not lose ground on wages.
“The United Kingdom my dad represented is the one I believe in,” he said, his voice breaking after the recent death of his father Roy.
He went on to lament the state of the nation, declaring, “This country isn’t where any of us would want it to be.”
Burnham warned of a “sense of the powers‑that‑be pulling against the people, not with them”, insisting, “If there’s one thing I want to put right, it’s that.”
He traced the country’s decline to a string of policies he labelled “Deindustrialisation.” Deregulation.
Privatisation. Austerity.
Brexit.”
“Britain has been on the wrong path for a long time,” he asserted, urging a return to the post‑war consensus that reshaped the nation after 1945.
On water, Burnham announced legislation to overturn Margaret Thatcher’s ban on public ownership, promising a decade‑long drive to give mayors “new powers to hold water companies to account, with tougher consequences for those which repeatedly fail”.
He evoked the 1945 vision, saying, “We built the common good.” Or at least we did until the 1980s.”
“Suddenly, the common wealth we had created for the many was seen as an opportunity for the few,” he continued, before listing the sectors he intends to bring back under public control: “Homes.” Water.
Energy. Transport.
Care.”
Burnham also pledged to push for a change to the first‑past‑the‑post system that decides Westminster seats, promising a Labour‑led referendum on electoral reform before the next general election.
Turning to Europe, he argued that Brexit “hasn’t given us control”, noting that a decade of low growth has left the UK in a weaker position.
He said he would set out “options” for a closer relationship with Brussels, including measures to manage immigration, and promised to seek a consensus that offers “clarity about our position and the future of the continent that we live in”.
Burnham admitted the reforms could cost him politically, stating, “I accept I may pay a political price, but someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off.”