Poll suggests UK voters back Burnham's plan to trim triple lock to fund social care reform

A new poll suggests British voters are more supportive than opposed to a proposal from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to scale back the state pension triple lock in order to help fund reform of the social care system, with 48% backing the idea against 28% opposed.

The triple lock guarantees that the UK state pension rises each year by whichever is highest among inflation, average wage growth, or 2.5%. Critics have long argued the mechanism is costly for the exchequer, while defenders say it protects pensioners from losing purchasing power. Burnham's proposal to trim the guarantee in exchange for improved social care funding touches on both issues directly.

Burnham has also used recent media appearances to argue for electoral reform and a shift toward proportional representation, drawing on his experience being elected mayor of Greater Manchester under a different voting system. He suggested that alternative systems create stronger incentives for candidates to engage with a broader range of voters, since a system allowing voters to rank preferences gives candidates reason to court supporters of other parties for second-preference votes.

Speaking about the current state of social care funding, Burnham pointed to pensioners currently paying for care costs out of their basic state pension, questioning whether that arrangement is fair. He has framed his proposals as part of a broader vision for a national care service.

The polling suggests the public may be more receptive to trade-offs between pension policy and social care funding than some politicians have assumed, though any changes to the triple lock would likely face significant political debate before being enacted.