Flipping public opinion on the triple lock was Burnham magic – he’ll need more of it to see his social care plans through | Polly Toynbee

Rebuilding a complex and broken system into one that’s fair for all, and in the face of steely opposition: that will be the PM’s real challenge

Here is rare clearcut proof of the power of political persuasion. Party conference speeches, the lifeblood of political obsessives, rarely reach the public beyond a brief news clip. But this time was different. Andy Burnham’s speech spun the dial on public opinion on several political hot potatoes, defining who he is.

The pensions triple lock, which guarantees that pensions rise faster than average incomes, has been a no-go electoral minefield despite a groundswell of economists (and even a Times leader) calling for reform to prevent pensions skyrocketing. Touching this live rail was an act of bravery – or recklessness.

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist

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