Theresa May vows to end the triple lock on pensions and scrap Tories’ tax lock in her Conservative election manifesto

THERESA May will end the triple lock on pensions and use the money saved to help younger workers instead.

It will be one of the most controversial parts of the Tory election manifesto being unveiled by the PM.

She will scrap a system that has seen OAPs’ cash shoot up for seven years.

Under it, the state pension rises by the rate of inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent a year – whichever is the highest.

The move – introduced by former Tory PM David Cameron in 2010 – has increased payments by £1,100 annually, while working age Brits’ pay has flat-lined since the financial crash in 2008.

Now that pensioners are more comfortable, Mrs May will insist it is time the nation tackles the growing gap in wealth between the generations.

She is expected to argue that pensioners’ income is now on average £20 a week higher than working age Brits.

But as both Labour and the Lib Dems have already committed to keeping the Triple Lock, the PM’s bold move will ignite a furious row.

A senior Tory source said: “Scrapping the Triple Lock will cause us some pain, but it is the right thing to do for the country.

“Theresa is confident that she can persuade people about that, and most people agree we need to rebalance between the generations.”

In another controversial move, Mrs May will also scrap the Tories’ tax lock.

Introduced two years ago by her predecessor Mr Cameron, the law forbids the government from raising income tax, VAT or national insurance contributions.

But the PM has already ruled out hiking VAT and will again today recommit to the Tories income tax cuts promises from the 2015 election.

That leaves Chancellor Philip Hammond free to raise NICs, and make another attempt to hike the hated tax on self-employed – the tax raid on White Van Man he was forced to abandon after the Budget in March.

But Mrs May will carry on with the party’s promise to raise the basic rate income tax free personal allowance to £12,500 and the higher-rate to £50,000 by 2020.

Planned Corporation Tax cuts will also stay, moving from today’s 19% rate down to 17% in 2020.

The Tories manifesto will also:

• USE the billions to guarantee any poorer OAPs with cash and assets of less than £100,000 will be exempt from care charges
• ABANDON a pledge not to raise National Insurance Contributions — but recommit the Tories to long-promised income tax cuts for basic and higher rate taxpayers.
• TOUGHEN immigration controls by doubling the charge companies must pay to bring skilled workers in from outside the EU.

Your election station

Listen to Julia Hartley-Brewer from 10am on talkRADIO on DAB or via the app