Reform to slash welfare to fund triple lock pension guarantee

• Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has reversed his previous stance on the 'triple lock' pensions guarantee, and is now backing the policy despite earlier calling it "unaffordable".
• The party is justifying the U-turn by saying they will announce significant cuts to the benefits bill, claiming to have identified £40bn in annual savings.
• The move is seen as a victory for Robert Jenrick, who recently defected from the Conservatives to Reform and has consistently supported the triple lock.
• Mr Farage said that the party's proposed welfare cuts would enable them to afford the triple lock "many, many times over", also suggesting scrapping defined benefit pensions for new public sector entrants.
• This policy shift comes ahead of upcoming elections to English councils, the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh Senedd, where Reform UK is vying for votes.

IN FULL

Reform to fund pensions triple lock with ‘biggest benefits bill cut in history’, Farage says in U-turn