PM tearfully hails late father as he pledges to create 'Britain worth fighting for' in emotional conference speech
Mr Burnham evoked the memory of his dad, Roy, as he unveiled plans to overhaul housing, energy, water and the scrapping of the triple lock in a bid to restore 'hope' to Britain.
Andy Burnham has pledged to create a "Britain worth fighting for", as he vowed to scrap the triple lock and bring energy, water and housing back under public control.
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Setting out a "new path" for the country from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Burnham said "Britain has been on the wrong path for a long time" - as he set out Labour's plans for change.
Despite pledging to honour the triple lock until April 2030, the Prime Minister unveiled plans to overhaul the system beyond that date, in what will effectively be a tweak to a double lock.
"From there, in April 2030, we will adjust it," Burnham told the party conference.
"The state pension will continue to rise every year at least by prices or 2.5 per cent. And it will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation.”
Andy Burnham appeared to hold back tears as he spoke of his late father during his conference speech, vowing to change the way we approach social care - a system that looks to be financed in the longhaul by the scrapping of the triple lock.
The PM also announced an overhaul of the housing, energy and water sectors, targeting Thatcher-era cornerstones including the Right to Buy scheme and an "ideological ban" on the public ownership of water companies.
Read more: Andy Burnham vows to scrap pensions triple lock to pay for free social care
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Outlining a "repeal of Margaret Thatcher's ideological ban on public ownership of water companies," Burnham insisted "water is a symbol of what has gone wrong with Britain".
Vowing to close "loopholes" used to pay water executives "excessive bonuses" while sewage discharge continues, the Prime Minister insisted: "It stinks".
"I will not allow it to continue like this. Today I can confirm Angela Eagle will present a strengthed water bill to Parliament.
"The centre piece of that bill will be this: the repeal of Margaret Thatcher's ideological ban on public ownership of water companies."
He also used his speech to announce a “change the electoral system”, with Burnham outlining a new form of proportional representation from the next election.
The plans for a “national commission” will explore voting reforms, with the PM announcing pensions would rise either by CPI inflation, or a minimum of 2.5% which would generate “significant savings” and remove the link to average earnings.
He said it would hold its value “relative” to earnings “over time”.Addressing the Labour Party conference in Liverpool he also said low-income pensioners would not have to pay income tax during this Parliament.
In response, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the plans to tweak the pensions triple lock is “much improved but not perfect”.
The think tank said the policy will “neuter the worst element” of the lock, which sees state pensions hiked by either 2.5%, inflation or average earnings depending on which is higher.
Announcing the policies, Burnham also paid tribute to his father Roy, who was in a care home before his death.
Mr Burnham said: “I won’t pretend some of this won’t be difficult. I accept I may pay a political price. But someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off. It’s the leadership I promised you when I asked to be your leader.
“I’ll be honest, we promised in our manifesto to keep the triple lock unchanged throughout this Parliament. I will honour that promise.
"The state pension will continue to rise every year at least by prices or 2.5%. And it will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation.“
Describing how someone has to "go through the pain barrier" and "rip the plaster off", the Prime Minister also announced the scrapping of the 5% VAT charge on electricity bills starting this month.
The PM also pledged to end rough sleeping as part of his speech, insisting: "I will not rest until we live in a Britain where everyone has a roof over their head every night and no one is forced to sleep rough.
"We will help councils build again and make it affordable by building on unused public land, we will reform Right to Buy."
Alongside a slew of major changes, Burnham also annoounced that individuals applying for a firearm or shotgun certificate will face more stringent safety checks under new rules to help keep the public safe.
From today, applicants will be required to declare any second homes where firearms could also be stored, enabling police to conduct appropriate security checks and notify the relevant force where necessary.
Other policies unveiled during the one hour and five minute speech include “options” on UK-EU relations, with the PM set to unveil plans later this year.
He told the Labour conference that Britain needed to decide on its “long-term relationship” with the bloc.
In response to the triple lock changes, a government spokesperson told LBC: “This settlement is a better deal for pensioners and their families.
"We are ensuring that the State Pension system is built to last for the pensioners of today and tomorrow.
“We are committed to the Triple Lock for this rest of this Parliament, and the adjusted Triple Lock will build on the gains the policy has made for pensioners in raising the State Pension."