Top Badenoch ally defends claim pensions could be subject to more means-testing
Nigel Huddleston suggested means-testing the triple lock was among ‘exactly the things’ the party could look at.
A senior Tory has come out to defend Kemi Badenoch after the Conservative leader suggested she may subject pensions to further means testing.
Mrs Badenoch came under fire on Thursday after suggesting she would look at means testing when asked about the future of the triple lock, which is aimed at preventing the state pension’s worth from being eaten away by inflation and other cost pressures.
As he insisted his boss had been misquoted, Conservative Party co-chairman Nigel Huddleston suggested a discussion over whether or not the pensions triple lock is affordable is among “exactly the things” the party could look at in the long term.
Sir Keir Starmer is committed to a triple lock and state pensions based on contributions regardless of wealth, Downing Street said.
The Liberal Democrats said the Tory leader will have “sent a shiver down the spine” of pensioners as they launched an attack ad on a van outside the Conservatives’ head office.
Speaking to Times Radio on Friday morning, Mr Huddleston claimed Ms Badenoch’s remarks had been “misinterpreted”, and said she had indicated she wanted to look at means testing benefits more widely, especially for the wealthy.
But asked by the broadcaster whether the UK can afford the triple lock, Mr Huddleston said: “Over the long term these are exactly the things we’re looking at, but the Conservative Party has a long and proud history of supporting pensioners, this is the whole point.
“In the speech yesterday as well, Kemi said that we need intergenerational fairness so we need to look at what we can do in terms of policy offerings for young people as well.”
He later added: “That’s not playing one person or one group off against the other, it’s about making sure that we make sure the whole country can be involved in policies going forward.”
Mr Huddleston said the Tories had not yet made any solid commitments on future policy, and would not make them “on the hoof”.
In a speech on Thursday, Mrs Badenoch said she wanted to offer more to “deeply despondent” young people in order to attract them towards voting for the Tories.
She suggested the UK was no longer as rich as it thought, there was a “refusal to live within our means”, and the next generation’s future could be at risk in order to “make our lives more comfortable”.
Mrs Badenoch was asked about means testing later during an LBC phone-in.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Kemi Badenoch and her Tory Party chair have let the mask slip: they’d cut your state pension.
“The Conservatives are still in chaos, announcing policies on the hoof that would mean a raid on pension pots.”
The Government has come under fire for limiting the winter fuel allowance to only the poorest pensioners, but the spokesperson claimed “tough action” by ministers had paved the way for a rise in the state pension in April.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Sir Keir is “committed both to the triple lock and the principle of people receiving a state pension based on the contribution they have made over their lifetime, regardless of wealth”.
The Lib Dems launched an attack ad on a van outside Tory headquarters urging retirees not to “let the Conservatives wreck your pension”.
Lib Dem MP Alison Bennett launched the poster van outside CCHQ, saying: “Kemi Badenoch’s comments will have sent a shiver down the spine of millions of pensioners across the country.
“Older people have already seen winter fuel payments ripped away by the Labour Government and now the Conservatives want to come after their state pension.
“The Liberal Democrats are proud we introduced the triple lock to protect people’s pensions. We will fight to protect pensioners from Conservative attempts to scrap it every step of the way.”
