NO BETRAYAL! JOIN FIGHT TO PROTECT TRIPLE LOCK

May: Triple lock is very important... under Labour pensioners had done quite badly

- Sam Lister

FORMER PM ROUNDS ON SUNAK OVER PENSIONS PLEDGE

THE battle to keep the pension triple lock intact starts today with a Daily Express campaign demanding the PM must NOT "betray the UK's pensioners".

Protests are raging because Rishi Sunak is so far refusing to guarantee they will be given the full 8.5% hike they are entitled to under the funding formula.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday issued a warning shot to Mr Sunak, insisting that the pledge is there for a "very important reason".

And this newspaper has joined forces with senior citizens campaign group Silver Voices to launch a petition following the fresh threat to the pledge. The group's director Dennis Reed said last night: "This is urgent, we only have a few weeks left to save the triple lock safeguard for millions of state pensioners.

"We must do everything we can to make sure there is no betrayal of the nation's pensioners by the Government.

"It is a great pity that the Express and Silver Voices have had to pick up the gauntlet to save the lock again, as only a few months ago ministers were promising that not only would the triple lock be honored this year, but it would be guaranteed for years to come." 

Ministers are considering breaking the pact with older people when they calculate April's state pension rise by tweaking the formula.

Mr Sunak again dodged questions yesterday over whether he will commit to keeping it in the next Tory manifesto.