Lib Dem MP backs Davey on triple lock but says reform will come
A Liberal Democrat MP has defended Ed Davey's support for the pensions triple lock for this Parliament while saying the party will need to move away from it at some point.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Ed Davey's commitment to the pensions triple lock has been defended by a Liberal Democrat MP after a public split inside the party over whether the policy should be reformed.
The dispute began after Andy Burnham told the Labour Party Conference that Labour would reform the triple lock and make it slightly less generous if it wins the next election. Ed Davey responded the following day by saying the Liberal Democrats support the triple lock. Tom Gordon, a Liberal Democrat MP, then criticised Davey on social media and said amending the triple lock was a good idea.
Asked about the disagreement, a Liberal Democrat guest said Davey was repeating the party's 2024 manifesto commitment to support and protect the triple lock for the duration of this Parliament. The guest said the policy was introduced in coalition by Sir Steve Webb and had helped lift some pensioners out of poverty, but argued the job was not complete. Pressed on whether the policy should remain until 2029, the guest said they did not know and would leave the timing to experts, adding: 'I think at some point we will need to move away from it.'
The guest also rejected the idea that Ed Davey had committed to the triple lock for the long term, saying the party was committed 'for now' because pensioner poverty remains. They argued that one better way to target pensioner poverty was pension credit, but said take-up and administration were problems. They described spending six months contacting the DWP and writing letters to get their mother reassessed for the right amount of pension credit after she moved into a care home following a stroke. They said that if an MP found the process difficult, vulnerable pensioners who cannot easily use the internet or phone would struggle more.
The party should fix the system rather than trade off generations, the guest added, saying young people do not want their grandparents worse off and grandparents want their grandchildren to have a better standard of living.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim | BBC TWO Politics Live |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Andy Burnham said Labour would reform the triple lock and make it somewhat less generous if it wins the next election. | BBC TWO Politics LiveReported by BBC TWO Politics Live |
| Tom Gordon criticised Ed Davey and said changing the triple lock would be a good idea. | BBC TWO Politics LiveReported by BBC TWO Politics Live |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The programme treated the story as a live internal Lib Dem dispute, pressing the party guest on whether they sided with Ed Davey or Tom Gordon. It focused on the guest's defence of the current manifesto commitment while drawing out an admission that the triple lock will need reform eventually. It also widened the discussion to pensioner poverty and the practical problems of pension credit, using a personal anecdote from the guest.
- “Ed was simply repeating what was in our 2024 manifesto”
- “I think at some point we will need to move away from it.”
- “we're committed to it for now because there's still a lot of pensioner poverty”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.