A bar inside the Palace of Westminster will close on Monday while police investigate a drink spiking incident.
Strangers’ Bar will shut its doors while security and safety arrangements are reviewed after a parliamentary researcher alerted security and staff to her drink having been tampered with, according to Politico.
The alleged incident, which happened on 7 January, was described as “incredibly concerning” by the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: “Strangers’ Bar will close from Monday 20 January while security and safety arrangements are reviewed. The safety of everyone on the estate remains a key priority of both Houses.”
Elsewhere, Sir Keir Starmer has again hit back at Elon Musk over his slew of social media posts which attacked the prime minister and his colleagues. Sir Keir told The Sun said: “In the end, my experience is focus on what matters. Ignore the noises off. I’ve had noises off for ten years. Learn to focus and shut off the noises.”
The prime minister is visiting Poland on Friday for talks with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk a new treaty designed to protect Europe from Russian aggression and work together to tackle people smuggling gangs.
Key Points
- Parliament’s Strangers Bar to close after spiking allegation
- ‘Ignore the noises’ - Starmer hits back at Elon Musk social media posts
- Starmer vows to ‘fight the poison of antisemitism’ after visit to Auschwitz
- ‘I utterly refute that’ - Labour minister rejects claims Musk triggered inquiries
- Tories will consider means-testing triple-lock, Badenoch says
Union urged parliamentary authorities to take action over drink-spiking allegation
15:45 , Alex RossAfter it emerged that Scotland Yard was investigating the alleged drink-spiking incident at Strangers’ Bar, the FDA union urged the parliamentary authorities t “assess the risks and take immediate action to prevent this happening again”.
The union, which represents civil servants and public sector professionals, said the incident was “very concerning”.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect trade union, said: “This is a very concerning alleged incident, especially given the long history of allegations about behaviour in Parliament.
“We will be seeking more information about this case and will continue to work to ensure parliamentary staff can feel safe in their workplace.”
Parliamentary authorities said they are treating the matter extremely seriously.
‘Incredibly concerning’ - Starmer reacts to drink-spiking allegation
15:24 , Alex RossThe Prime Minister found an alleged incident of spiking in a bar on the UK parliamentary estate “incredibly concerning”, Downing Street has said.
Police are investigating after Scotland Yard received reports of an incident at Strangers’ Bar on January 7.
On Friday afternoon, the House of Commons announced that the bar would close on Monday while security and safety arrangements are reviewed.
“These are incredibly concerning reports,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said on Thursday.
He said he could not comment on specifics while the police investigation takes place.
“Women have a right to feel safe everywhere… everyone on the parliamentary state should feel safe in their workplace,” he added.
He pointed to the Government’s commitment to crack down on spiking by making it a specific offence – and launching specialist training for up to 10,000 bar staff nationwide.
A UK Parliament spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident which took place on the parliamentary estate in early January, which was reported to parliamentary security and is now being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.”
Parliament’s Strangers’ Bar to close amid drink spiking allegation
14:58 , Alex RossParliament’s Strangers’ Bar will close from Monday while security and safety arrangements are reviewed after an alleged spiking incident, a House of Commons spokesperson said.
Police are investigating after Scotland Yard received a report of an incident on January 7 in the Palace of Westminster.
A woman, a parliamentary researcher, alerted security and staff in Parliament’s Strangers’ Bar to her drink having been tampered with, according to Politico, which first reported the incident.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the House of Commons said the bar would close on Monday.
They said: “A House of Commons spokesperson said: “Strangers’ Bar will close from Monday 20 January while security and safety arrangements are reviewed. The safety of everyone on the estate remains a key priority of both Houses.”
Auschwitz visit comes ahead of 80th anniversary of camp’s liberation
14:40 , Angus ThompsonKeir Starmer made the visit to the Nazi death camp ahead of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the site, which has come to symbolise the evils perpetrated during the Holocaust.
The prime minister was accompanied by his wife Victoria, who is Jewish, at the concentration camp where more than 1.1 million people were killed during World War Two.
Sir Keir’s horrified reaction indicated it was his first visit to the site.
“My wife was equally moved by what she saw today. It was her second visit, but no less harrowing than the first time she stepped through that gate and witnessed the depravity of what happened here,” he said in a statement released this afternoon.
Britain’s King Charles is due to attend a commemoration service at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial on 27 January.
Starmer will meet his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, later to begin talks on a new treaty to work more closely together to “protect Europe from Russian aggression”.
UK set to be the fastest growing European economy according to IMF, in boost for Reeves
14:30 , Angus ThompsonRachel Reeves has hailed new growth forecasts that claim the UK will be the fastest-growing major European economy over the next two years.
The International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook report, published on Friday, indicates that Britain’s gross domestic product (GDP) is on track to grow by 1.6 per cent in 2025, up on the 1.5 per cent it predicted last October.
Combined with inflation easing slightly this week, the latest figures give the beleaguered chancellor some breathing space after weeks of pressure over Britain’s finances.
Concerns over potential stagflation – where growth is stagnating but inflation remains high – caused a jump in borrowing costs and a fall in the pound this month, but both metrics have eased back in recent days following the slowing down of inflation in the UK and US.
The IMF said growth is now expected accelerate to 1.6 per cent in 2025 and 1.5 per cent in 2026, outstripping fellow European economies in Germany, France and Italy.
Parents should be offered Saturday lessons on protecting children - Tory peer suggests
14:20 , Alex RossParents should be offered Saturday lessons in school on how to protect their children, a peer has suggested.
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne raised the importance of parents in providing initial guidance to a child on their behaviour and who or what they should be concerned about.
The Conservative peer added Saturday morning teaching for parents could be an option, including a focus on “how to protect your child”.
Lady Nicholson’s remarks came as the House of Lords debated a proposed law to require those who work with children, such as at a sports club, to report known or suspected child sexual abuse to the local authorities.
She spoke of her work considering evidence from around the world when she chaired the Sexual Violence in Conflict Committee and the “vital” importance of reporting abuse.
Lady Nicholson told the Lords: “Initially it is the parents that will teach the child – girl or boy – who to worry about, how to behave, how to avoid them and what they should be concerned about.
“I see a lot because we have magnificent teachers in this House, but we haven’t actually discussed the core people in a child’s life who are the mother and father and how they can help, how they can distinguish between good and bad, how they can teach the child from very early on who the child should be worried about.
“I remember as a child there was somebody, a gentleman, and we were all taught as children ‘don’t go near that man when you’re going out for a walk’. And it’s the mother who knows this, it’s the mother who senses this, it is the maternal instinct that actually shelters the child in the beginning.
“Therefore my suggestion might be that you think about Saturday morning teaching for parents in schools, for example. There’s a lot of Saturday morning teaching which is fantastic on other subjects, what about this – how to protect your child?”
Sir Keir’s Auschwitz visit in pictures
14:13 , Angus Thompson
Starmer vows to ‘fight the poison of antisemitism’ after ‘utterly harrowing’ visit to Auschwitz
14:07 , Angus ThompsonSir Keir Starmer has vowed to “fight the poison of antisemitism” in a statement delivered after his visit to Auschwitz in Poland.
“Nothing could prepare me for the sheer horror of what I have seen in this place. It is utterly harrowing. The mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases, the names and details, everything that was so meticulously kept, except for human life”, the prime minister said after his visit to the site of the Nazi camp.
Pointing to a rise in anti-semitism in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks in Israel, Sir Keir asked: “Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say ‘never again’. But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world in aftermath of October 7th?
“Where is never again, when the pulse of fear is beating in our own Jewish community, as people are despicably targeted once again for the very same reason, because they are Jewish.”
The prime minister, who was accompanied by his wife Victoria, who is Jewish, said the visit will “stay with me for the rest of my life”.
“So too, will my determination to defend that truth, to fight the poison of antisemitism and hatred in all its forms, and to do everything I can to make ‘never again’ mean what it says, and what it must truly mean: never again”, he added.
Russia said any British military assets sent to Ukraine under a new 100-year partnership agreement between Kyiv and London would be of concern.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the possibility of Britain setting up military bases in Ukraine under the agreement announced on Thursday by Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Sir Keir Starmer.
“Given that Britain is a NATO country, the advancement of its military infrastructure towards our borders is certainly a rather worrying element. In any case, it will be necessary to further analyse what will happen,” Mr Peskov said.
At Thursday’s talks in Kyiv, Zelensky said he had spoken to Sir Keir about Kyiv’s desire for Western peacekeeping troops to be deployed in Ukraine if the war with Russia ended.
Asked if Britain would contribute troops, Sir Keir said in an interview with Sky News that he had discussed this with Zelenskiy and other allies and Britain would “play our full part”.
Mr Peskov said Moscow also took a “negative” view of the prospect of British cooperation with Ukraine in the Sea of Azov, which he described as Russia’s “internal sea”.
The Azov Sea is bordered by southwest Russia, parts of southern Ukraine that Russia has seized in the war, and the Crimean peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Musk’s support for far-right ‘completely unacceptable’ - Scholz
13:45 , Alex RossGerman chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that Elon Musk’s support for the far-right in Europe is “completely unacceptable,” adding to his previous criticism of Mr Musk’s interventions in the German election campaign.As well as delving into UK politics, Musk has said over the past month that only the far-right party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, can “save Germany.”
Last week, the tech billionaire livestreamed on his social media platform X a chat with Alice Weidel, the party’s candidate for chancellor in Germany’s upcoming election, amplifying its message ahead of the vote.
Asked on Friday about Musk’s interventions, he said it’s important to “criticise the right thing.”
“What we must criticise is not that a billionaire, or a billionaire from other countries in a global world, expresses his opinion — but what he says,” Scholz said at a news conference. “He supports the extreme right throughout Europe, in Britain, in Germany, in many, many other countries, and that is something that is completely unacceptable.”
I want to make our alliance with the US great again - Peter Mandelson
13:16 , Alex RossSeems like a long time ago now, but just before Christmas Labour peer Peter Mandelson was announced as Britain’s new ambassador to the United States.
How we reported back then can be read here, but the news provoked fury within Donald Trump’s team, with one insider describing it as a “horrible, arrogant” choice and his campaign coordinator publicly calling the Labour peer a “moron”.
Lord Mandelson had previously attacked Mr Trump as “little short of a white nationalist and racist”.
But writing for Fox News, the Labour grandee said he had learned to listen to the electorate after Mr Trump won the US election. Mr Trump, Lord Mandelson wrote, represented hard-working Americans.
He wrote: “I am listening hard to the message that millions of Americans delivered in November. Tuning into a similar set of concerns among large chunks of the British public, such as addressing the rising cost of living and making our streets safe again, won my party a comprehensive victory in July last year.”
He wrote that he saw three areas of potential between the US and UK; economic growth, national security and foreign policy realism.
He wrote: “The Trump administration will rightly put the needs of Americans first. But in its closest allies, it will find old partners open to new ways of dealing with the current world – to protect, enrich and build opportunities for Americans and our own citizens alike.”
Downing Street 'committed’ to triple lock pensions
13:02 , Alex RossLast night, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said she would look at means testing the pensions triple lock during a phone in sessions on LBC.
The interview has stirred up a debate on the issue, with Labour accusing Ms Badenoch of planning to cut state pensions.
This Friday lunchtime, a Downing Street spokesperson has been asked on it.
They said: “The Prime Minister is committed both to the triple lock and the principle of people receiving a state pension based on the contribution they have made over their lifetime, regardless of wealth”.
Asked if they would rule out changes to triple lock: “Our commitment to the triple lock is clear. The principle of people receiving state pension based on the contribution they’ve made over their lifetime, regardless of wealth, is clear.”
The triple lock ensures state pensions rise by whichever is highest out of the rate of inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent. Currently, it is available to all pensioners, regardless of income or savings.
Starmer visits Poland for talks over security pact
12:32 , Alex RossComing from Ukraine, where Sir Keir signed a 100-year partnership with Zelensky, the UK prime minister has flown to Poland to meet his counterpart Donald Tusk to discuss a new defence and security agreement.
The new UK-Poland treaty will support both countries working together to protect Europe from Russian aggression and work together to tackle people smuggling gangs.
Ahead of the visit, Sir Keir said: “The UK and Poland are longstanding allies and our co-operation stretches back for generations.
“With ever-increasing threats to Europe’s security, now is the time to take our partnership to the next level, so we can ensure we’re tackling the big issues that rebound on the British people at home – from Putin’s aggression to the vile people smuggling gangs trading in human misery.
“It is only through closer collaboration with our most important partners such as Poland that we’ll protect the UK’s national security – the key foundation on which I’ll deliver my plan for change.”
We’re expecting to hear from Sir Keir a little later on today.
‘Ignore the noises’ - Starmer hits back at Elon Musk social media posts
12:26 , Alex RossThe bizarre tirade of social media posts from Elon Musk over the past month has been widely covered up until now.
At the start of January, Sir Keir Starmer hit back at Mr Musk’s “lies and misinformation” as the tech billionaire criticised the government for rejected a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal in the series of wild posts.
Today, it’s been reported that Sir Keir has again been speaking about Mr Musk again.
In The Sun, he said: “If I read every tweet I wouldn’t have time to do anything else.”
He added: “In the end, my experience is focus on what matters. Ignore the noises off. I’ve had noises off for ten years. Learn to focus and shut off the noises.”
Bill for new builds to have solar panels ‘clear win-win'
11:25 , Alex RossMax Wilkinson, who has introduced Bill, said there was a “clear market preference for home with solar panels because a relatively small proportion of the price will be rewarded with a decent payback”.
He pointed to research by the MCS Foundation which showed panels on the Labour Government’s target of 1.5 million homes would bolster energy generation by the equivalent of two Sizewell C nuclear power stations (3.2 gigawatt each).
He had earlier told MPs: “This Bill helps us tackle the cost of living and climate change too, a clear win-win.”
Mr Wilkinson quoted from Morecambe and Wise’s Bring Me Sunshine when he said: “‘Let our arms be as warm as the sun up above’ and let us think about how ‘much joy we can bring to each brand new bright tomorrow’ (sic).”
Solar panels on newbuilds could protect green fields - MP suggests
11:09 , Alex RossIn the Commons at the moment, MPs are debating a Bill proposing new builds to come with solar panels as standard.
The Bill, also known as the Sunshine Bill, has been brought forward by Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson.
Intervening in his speech, former Tory minister Wendy Morton said: “In the shift towards more solar panels, I fear many of those will go on prime agricultural land.”
She added that “it’s time we need to look at alternatives, look at where the solar panels are being placed as a way of protecting communities and our green belt”.
Mr Wilkinson’s proposal has received support from executives at several companies including renewables firm Ecotricity and the housebuilder Thakeham.
If it becomes law, new builds would come with solar panels covering at least 40 per cent of their ground floor area, with exemptions for smaller roofs which cannot physically accommodate panels, tall buildings more than 15 storeys high, developments where panels would not prove cost-effective, and projects featuring other forms of renewable energy generation.
Responding to Ms Morton’s intervention, Mr Wilkinson said: “She is entirely right.”
Nandy rejects claims Elon Musk pushed government into launching inquiries
11:01 , Alex RossLisa Nandy has rejected claims that Elon Musk’s slew of social media posts about grooming gangs pushed the government into a climbdown on the scandal.
On Thursday, the home secretary announced an audit looking into the current scale and nature of “gang-based exploitation” across the country, as well as local reviews into grooming in some areas.
The change of position came after three Labour MPs from the North West and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham broke ranks to demand a rethink. It also came alongside weeks of pressure including from the billionaire X-owner for a national inquiry into grooming, after the government rejected one.
But, speaking in the Commons, Yvette Cooper said local reviews would provide more answers and change than a nationwide probe.
Asked if the raft of new policies came as a result of the billionaire’s intervention, Ms Nandy said: “I utterly refute that”, insisting that the government has been working on this issue “for a very long time”.
Full story here:
Minister denies Musk pushed government into grooming gangs climbdown
Tory pension triple lock plan will impact ‘millionaires, not millions of pensioners’
10:34 , Alex RossThe Tories have responded to criticism after leader Kemi Badenoch said the party would look at means-testing the triple-lock pension system.
Under the triple lock policy, the state pension rises each year by whichever is highest out of 2.5 per cent, inflation, or earnings.
After Labour warned pensioners the Tory party was looking to cut their state pension, co-chairman of the Conservative Party defended the idea when speaking to Sky News.
Nigel Huddleston said the party was not looking to scrap the system.
He said: “She [Kemi Badenoch] said, look, millionaires probably shouldn’t get it. Millionaires, not millions of pensioners. Millionaires.
“We probably do need to look at means testing at some of those levels, and I don’t think many viewers would disagree with that.”
Retailer Next will be taking on fewer workers after Reeves’ Budget, boss warns
10:10 , Alex RossThe boss of retail giant Next has issued a warning over the impact of Rachel Reeves’ Budget, after the business revealed it was facing a £67m surge in wage costs in the year to January 2026.
The business has blamed the chancellor’s plans to increase employer national insurance contributions and the minimum wage from April. It said it will need to push through an “unwelcome” 1 per cent rise in prices as part of efforts to help offset the hit.
Chief executive and Conservative peer Lord Simon Wolfson said Next would not be cutting jobs through redundancies, but confirmed it would take on fewer workers than normal in the year ahead across its warehouses and retail stores.
He said that employers with part-time and low wage workers will be disproportionately affected by the moves, as costs will rise more steeply for these employees.
“We’re not looking at a dramatic increase in unemployment but… it’s these jobs that are most likely to be lost in the economy,” he said.
He stressed that for Next, it was “not a meltdown situation”.
FTSE 100 hits record high in ‘surprise’ rally
09:58 , Alex RossGood news for investors this morning.
The UK’s FTSE 100 reached its highest ever level following a rally for the index helped by miners and housebuilders amid rising hopes of further interest rate cuts. It surged more than 1 per cent shortly after markets opened on Friday morning to a high of 8,480.57.
Miners Antofagasta, Glencore and Anglo American, and housebuilders Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Redrow were among the big risers.
Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said the rally came as a surprise. He said: “US markets faltered after a blowout session the previous day, while the surprising upstart came in the form of the FTSE 100, which has set the early pace and blew past its previous record high in opening trade.
“The housebuilders were also strong, given a combination of potentially lowering interest rates and some recent updates which have shown robust forward order books, with rises of 2% or more for the likes of Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Redrow and Berkeley Group.
“The FTSE 100 is now ahead by 3.5 per cent this year, and marginally ahead of the previous record level set last May.”
Surprise flop in retail sales in December
09:51 , Alex RossFollowing news yesterday that the UK economy only grew slightly in November, we’re now getting data on retail sales for December, which again shows a rather gloomy picture.
UK retail sales unexpectedly fell by 0.3 per cent in December, the Office for National Statistics said. It followed a 0.1 per cent increase in November, revised down from a previous estimate of a 0.2 per cent rise.
Analysts had been expecting sales to rise by 0.4% in December, with shoppers stocking up ahead of Christmas.
Erin Brookes, European retail and consumer lead at Alvarez & Marsal, said: “Sales disappointed in December after five months of positive growth, signalling that retailers are already being hit by low consumer confidence on spending.”
Tax will not replace BBC licence fee, Labour minister indicates
09:32 , Alex RossSome more this morning on Labour’s plans on the BBC licence fee.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy was asked on the issue as the fee, which the government has committed to increasing in line with inflation each year until 2027, is to rise to £174.50 in April.
The broadcaster has been cash-strapped in recent years following the licence fee being frozen for two years at £159.
Ms Nandy told BBC Breakfast that the licence fee was “not only insufficient, it’s raising insufficient money to support the BBC, but it also is deeply regressive”.
The Government will use a review of the BBC’s Royal Charter, which will include a public consultation, to consider funding options to support the broadcaster’s long-term future.
Ms Nandy said she has “already started initial discussions with the BBC leadership about the charter review”, that she hopes will “future proof our national broadcaster until well into the latter half of this century”.
She added: “I think the one that has been speculated about is general taxation.
“That’s not something that we are considering, not least because we want to make sure that we protect the BBC from the sort of political interference that we saw under the last government.”
Rachel Reeves issues defiant message to critics as she refuses to resign
09:22 , Alex RossRachel Reeves compared herself to ‘Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher as she said she will not resign, after coming under pressure over the state of the economy.
On Thursday, the latest GDP (gross domestic product) figures showed the UK economy grew only slightly in November, after it had shrunk in both October and September.
There have also been concerns about the fall in the pound and a rise in government borrowing costs.
Earlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer was asked if Ms Reeves would continue in her role as chancellor.
Speaking to BBC’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Ms Reeves said she was not going to let her critics get her down, and said she would not resign. Ms Reeves said she did not take attacks on her personally and “strongly believes” she has “what it takes” and “the ideas to turn things around”.
She also said she was happy to be known as the ‘Iron Lady’.
Defiant Reeves says she won’t resign and compares herself to Margaret Thatcher
‘I utterly refute that’ - Labour minister rejects claims Musk triggered inquiries
09:11 , Alex RossLisa Nandy has dismissed claims that Elon Musk’s slew of social media posts about grooming gangs kick-started the Government into action.
“I utterly refute that,” the Culture Secretary told Sky News when asked about the billionaire’s interest in the scandal.
Ms Nandy also told the broadcaster the Government would accept a “majority” of the recommendations set out by Professor Alexis Jay aimed at preventing future child sexual abuse.
On Thursday, Yvette Cooper announced a “rapid national audit” into the scale and nature of grooming gangs across the country amid growing calls from MPs for a new inquiry.
The home secretary also pledged five new local inquiries backed by government funding.
The partial climb down comes after three Labour MPs from the North West and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham broke ranks to demand a rethink.
Row continues as Tories hit back at Labour criticism
09:05 , Alex RossSo, we had Kemi Badenoch appearing on the LBC phone-in this morning, revealing she was considering means testing the triple-lock pension.
Then Labour accused the Tories of planning to cut the state pension.
Now the Tories have hit back, accusing Labour of “fake news”.
A Conservative Party headquarters spokesperson said: “The Labour Party is skewing her words for political gain and lying about what she said. We will look at means testing. But the Conservatives have always protected the triple lock. Ignore the fake news! Read the transcript.”
Labour accuses Tory leader of ‘putting pensions on notice'
09:02 , Alex RossNot long after Kemi Badenoch appeared on the LBC phone-in, both the Labour and Lib Dem parties responded.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Kemi Badenoch has put pensioners on notice - she’s going to cut your state pension. The Labour government has taken tough action to clean up the mess the Tories left our economy in, meaning we can guarantee a £470 cash boost for pensioners in April.
“The Tories have let the mask slip though and are happy to leave pensioners worse off. Yet again, the Conservatives haven’t listened and they haven’t learned.”
A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, part of the coalition that introduced the triple-lock system 14 years ago, said: “Bungling Badenoch has finally come up with her first new policy, slashing the state pension.
“The Liberal Democrats are proud we introduced the triple-lock and will fight tooth and nail against Conservative attempts to weaken it.”
What is the triple lock pension?
08:59 , Alex RossThe triple lock guarantees that the state pension rises every year in line with inflation, earnings or 2.5 per cent – whichever is highest.
The policy helps to ensure pensioners’ living standards keep up with those of the wider population.
More than 12 million people receive the state pension.
Tories will consider means-testing triple-lock, Badenoch says
08:57 , Alex RossKemi Badenoch said Tories will consider means-testing the triple-lock.
The Conservative leader said that while in government the party had supported the system, but added that “we need to make sure we are growing”.
During a phone-in on LBC, Mrs Badenoch was asked whether she would “look at” the triple-lock, to which she replied: “We’re going to look at means-testing. Means-testing is something which we don’t do properly here.”
“The triple-lock is a policy which we supported throughout our 14 years in government, that was a Conservative policy, but we need to make sure that we are growing.
“Starting with the triple-lock is not how to solve the problem. We need to start with, why are we not making the same kind of money we used to make?
She added: “We’ve got to give something to the next generation. What are we leaving them with?
“And that’s what we’ve got to sort out. We can’t just make ourselves comfortable now, spending their future.”
The suggestion quickly came under fire from political opponents, with Labour accusing the Tory leader of “putting pensioners on notice” while the Liberal Democrats said the Conservatives should “clarify what she meant”.
