Why the pensions triple lock is unfair, unaffordable, and won’t work

The triple lock mechanism is doubtless a boon for pensioners, writes James Moore. But the money to pay for it has to come from somewhere – and in the current climate, that means that other groups will suffer

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has promised the pensions ‘triple lock’ will be in the Conservative manifesto (PA Wire)

Just days after telling a parliamentary committee that the pensions “triple lock” was being “kept under review”, the chancellor Jeremy Hunt locked it into the Tory manifesto.

In so doing, he has landed our public services – which are already facing draconian cuts – with a multibillion-pound headache.

As someone much closer to retirement than I am to the start of my career, the triple lock could (in theory) be of benefit to me. But if politicians aren’t willing to be honest about the painful fiscal realities Britain faces, it falls to the rest of us to step up and say it: this pensions policy is unfair – and unaffordable.