State pensioners born before 1953 are set to receive £230 less per month under the Triple Lock commitment made by Andy Burnham, the new Labour Party Prime Minister. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that state pensions will rise by at least 2.5 per cent next April, but the increase will disproportionately benefit those on the new state pension.
Basic State Pension Increase
The basic state pension, currently at £184 per week, will rise to approximately £189 per week. In contrast, the new state pension, which applies to those who reached state pension age on or after 6 April 2016, is expected to increase to £247 per week. On a monthly basis, this equates to £760 for basic rate pensioners and £990 for new rate pensioners, a difference of £230.
Two-Tier System Widens
The gap between the old and new state pensions is widening due to the Triple Lock mechanism, which guarantees annual increases by the highest of earnings growth, inflation, or 2.5 per cent. According to DWP data, there were an estimated 13.2 million state pensioners in the country in 2025/26. Of these, around two-thirds (8.2 million) were claiming the pre-2016 State Pension, while 5.0 million were new State Pension claimants.
Eligibility for Old State Pension
The old State Pension applies to men born before 6 April 1951 and women born before 6 April 1953, who reached state pension age before 6 April 2016. The new State Pension, introduced by the coalition government under the Pensions Act 2014, covers those who reached state pension age on or after that date.
Triple Lock Commitment
The Triple Lock was first announced by the coalition government in its 2010 Budget and implemented from the 2011/12 financial year. It has been applied every year since, except for a temporary suspension in 2022/23 due to volatile earnings growth following the coronavirus pandemic. The full rate of the new State Pension in 2026/27 is £241.30 per week, or £12,547.60 per year.
Mr Burnham's commitment to maintaining the Triple Lock means that the basic state pension will rise by at least 2.5 per cent next April, but the disparity between the two tiers will continue to grow, leaving older pensioners at a significant financial disadvantage.
