Advisers back call to scrap 'unaffordable' state pension triple lock

Brexit has pushed the issue, adviser says

clock • 3 min read

Advisers have backed calls from ex-pensions minister Ros Altmann for the government to scrap the state pension triple lock, saying the guarantee in its current form is "unaffordable".

Altmann said the government should abandon its triple lock on state retirement benefits - currently due to be in place until at least 2020 - in favour of a more affordable "double lock" system. The triple lock means the state pension increases each year by the higher of inflation, the increase in average earnings or 2.5%.  Altmann, who stepped down from government during Theresa May's reshuffle, claimed the triple lock has been used as a smokescreen by the government. She said: "Such totemic symbols may be politically convenient, but are not a sound substitute for carefully conside...

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