It is becoming devastatingly clear that public clear that public spending is on an unsustainable path, and while much focus is on welfare reform, we need to start saying the unsayable on the pensions triple lock too, says Simon Clarke

How do you earn permission to say the unsayable in a democracy? That’s the exam question for European leaders – and arguably nowhere more so than here in the UK.

In August, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave it a good try, warning, “The welfare state that we have today can no longer be financed by what we produce in the economy.” It was a stark admission from the government of Europe’s richest country. But he couldn’t be more right.

A fiscal crisis looms in Britain’s future. Heading into the autumn, the Chancellor is facing a range of unpalatable choices if she is to maintain the confidence of the country’s creditors. In August alone the UK borrowed £18bn – £270 for every man, woman and child in the country. Of this, £8.4bn went straight onto debt interest.

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