Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch came under fire after telling a radio phone-in that she would consider means testing the pension triple lock, before going on to claim she hadn’t said that at all
Kemi Badenoch reveals she’s in favour of ‘means-testing’ triple-lock pensions
Kemi Badenoch has backtracked on her plans to deny the triple lock pension protection to millions of people following a backlash.
The outspoken Tory leader made the surprise announcement that she wanted to means test the triple lock during a radio-phone in. But after coming under attack she posted a confusing denial on social media, claiming she had been misunderstood.
Conservative HQ later claimed that she was talking about means testing other benefits, and that the triple lock would be unaffected. It is the latest in a string of communication blunders by Ms Badenoch, who was previously forced to deny having said maternity pay was too high.
Earlier a close ally of Ms Badenoch’s, Tory co-chairman Nigel Huddleston, suggested a discussion over whether the triple lock is affordable is among “exactly the things” the party could look at. No10 said the current Government is committed to keeping it in place.
Ms Badenoch made the comments in response to a caller on LBC, who said some pensioners protected by the triple lock don’t need it – and questioned whether some of the cash should be spent on housing. She replied: “That’s exactly the sort of thing that policy work we are going to be doing.”
Presenter Iain Dale asked: “You are going to look at the triple lock?” The Tory leader responded: “No, we’re going to look at means testing. Means testing is something which we don’t do properly here.”
She then went on: “Now the triple lock is a policy which we supported throughout our 14 years in government. That was a Conservative policy. But we need to make sure that we are growing. Starting with the triple lock is not how to solve the problem. We need to start with, why are we not making the same kind of money we used to make? And I tell people that we started living off our inheritance. We’re living off the work that previous generations did.”
It sparked an immediate backlash, with Labour claiming she had “put pensioners on notice” and the Lib Dems branding her “blundering Badenoch”. But she later distanced herself from changes to the triple lock, posting confusing messages on Twitter/X.
She said: “The Conservative Party under new leadership is crafting exciting, new policies. Other parties do not have our networks and expertise. So they want to scare people.
“Don’t listen to them. Listen for yourself. In the clip attached, I say ‘no’ to looking at the triple lock. BUT we DO need to deliver better means-testing. Big tech and supermarkets know more than the government about its citizens. It’s time to change the system for the better. Let’s do this for the next generation.”
When asked by The Mirror a Tory spokesman said Ms Badenoch was referring to means testing other benefits, not the triple lock.
