The future of the state pension triple lock has been thrown into doubt after it emerged that Reform UK's new economic adviser has called for the policy to be scrapped. Mitchell Palmer, a right-wing economist at the free-market Adam Smith Institute, has also argued for privatising the NHS and immigration as ways of cutting poverty.
Palmer's appointment was revealed by the Guardian newspaper last week, placing him at the heart of a party widely seen as the greatest threat to the Labour government at the 2029 election.
Triple Lock 'Expensive' and 'Unfair'
In an interview with GB News in April, Palmer said he disagreed with Robert Jenrick's decision to back the triple lock. Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, had previously suggested the policy would be "up for debate".
Palmer said: "The triple lock is an expensive way to ensure that pensioners have dignity in their retirement. There are ways that you can do that without the unpredictable ratcheting effect that the triple lock has."
He added: "Pensioners almost by definition are made better off in real terms than workers and that obviously is, one, unsustainable as the number of pensioners that each worker has to pay for increases, but, two, can be seen by those younger generations as somewhat unfair."
NHS Performance Under Fire
Palmer also criticised the NHS, saying: "The reality is the NHS is a horrifically performing system. It establishes much lower cancer survival rates. It has obvious rationing – we all know that when we try and get a GP appointment or a specialist appointment. It has a pretty bad safety record – that's not for lack of spending."
His comments come as the government faces mounting pressure over the sustainability of the triple lock, which guarantees that the state pension rises by the highest of inflation, average earnings growth, or 2.5 percent.
Reform Defends Appointment
Following the news of Palmer's appointment, a Reform spokesperson said: "Unlike the Guardian, Robert believes in hiring smart people with whom he disagrees."
A Labour source responded: "Reform have long talked up selling off the NHS to the highest bidder and going after ordinary people's rights. It's no surprise they're hiring a brainchild of those types of damaging policies. Nigel Farage's party have already shown the public who they are. It's time to believe them."
The debate over the triple lock is set to intensify as the next general election approaches, with pensioner poverty and intergenerational fairness likely to be key battleground issues.
