Treasury minister Torsten Bell believes the opposition leader’s resistance to modifying retirement benefits undermines her reputation for blunt authenticity. He highlighted that Kemi Badenoch previously advocated for means-testing the payment guarantee, while former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt once categorized the policy as an “anchor drag” on public finances. Arguing that the Tory chief underestimates her political vulnerability on this issue, Bell remarked, “I think this is a bigger problem for Kemi Badenoch than she thinks. She thinks that her brand is principled, know what you think, tell it straight. And on this, she has done the opposite – we know that she knows it needs to change,” before adding, “The triple lock kind of is the final nail in the coffin of the idea that there’s anything fiscally responsible
Tories would have to raise state pension age above 70 to keep triple lock, says minister
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