Andy Burnham, who looks set to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, has confirmed that he will retain the state pension triple lock if he becomes Labour leader.

In an ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) on social media site Reddit, Burnham confirmed his commitment to the measure.

Responding to a question asking whether it was time to abolish the triple lock, or at least have a conversation about its removal, Burnham said the manifesto commitment remained.

“I appreciate there’s a lot of debate about this but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands,” he said.

The Labour manifesto states that the party will “retain the triple lock for the state pension”.

The triple lock raises the state pension annually by whichever is highest out of inflation, average earnings for working people, or 2.5 per cent.

However, it has come under recent scrutiny, with the Intergenerational Foundation warning it is unsustainable, unpredictable, and intergenerationally unfair.

The think tank estimated that reform to the triple lock could save around £19bn a year by 2035/36.

The Resolution Foundation also proposed reforms to the measure, which it said could save around £650m in 2029/30, while industry figures called on the next Prime Minister to ‘confront’ the triple lock.

However, reforming the triple lock is seen as a huge political risk, with 66 per cent of adults in the UK in favour if keeping the triple lock and only 14 per cent against it, according to research from YouGov.

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