MPs today approved a £6.9billion hike in spending on state pensions and benefits from April.

Orders supported by the House of Commons included a 4.1 per cent increase to the state pension under the terms of the ‘triple lock’.

This ensures payments rise each April in line with whichever is highest out of average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5 per cent.

The increase for 2025/26 was pegged to wages, which rose by 4.1 per cent in the relevant period last year.

It means, from April, the basic state pension will increase from £169.50 per week to £176.45 – a rise of £361.40 per year to an annual £9,175.40.

At the same time, the full new state pension will increase from £221.20 to £230.25 – a rise of £470.60 per year to an annual £11,973.

Most other benefit rates will rise by 1.7 per cent from April, in line with inflation.

Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms told MPs this afternoon that Labour was ‘fully committed to maintaining the pensions triple lock’.

MPs approve £6.9bn hike in spending on pensions and benefits

But Sir Stephen claimed there was ‘confusion’ about the Tory position, after party leader Kemi Badenoch recently suggested she would look at means-testing when asked about the future of the triple lock.

During a phone-in on LBC last month, Mrs Badenoch was asked whether she would ‘look at’ the triple lock.

‘We’re not looking at cancelling the triple lock, it’s his colleague the new pensions minister (Torsten Bell) who has been very clearly quoted saying that the triple lock is a silly system and indefensible.’

Asked if he agreed with Tory shadow chancellor Mel Stride that the triple lock is ‘unsustainable’, Mr Kruger replied: ‘There are clearly questions on the long-term sustainability of our pensions system and national insurance fund.

‘But I think he was talking about the very long-term rather than the immediate situation that we’re in.

‘There’s no intention to review the triple lock at this stage on our benches anyway.’

On pension credit, Sir Stephen said the standard minimum guarantee would increase by 4.1 oer cent from £218.15 to £227.10 per week for single pensioners and from £332.95 to £346.60 per week for couples.

Elsewhere, the Commons also approved motions to set various national insurance thresholds and uprate child benefit and guardian’s allowance.

Treasury minister James Murray said: ‘These regulations fix most of the rates and thresholds for national insurance contributions, which they cover at their 2024/25 levels for the 2025/26 tax year.’

He added: ‘These regulations also make provision for a Treasury grant, they extend the veterans employers’ national insurance contributions relief and increase the rates of child benefit and guardians allowance in line with prices.’

Mr Murray earlier stated: ‘The Government has had to make difficult decisions to fix the public finances.

‘One of the toughest decisions we faced was to increase the rate of employee national insurance contributions and reduce the secondary threshold.

‘Although those changes are the subject of a separate bill and not the regulations before us, they are the context in which our decision to maintain other targeted national insurance contributions reliefs are so important.’

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