Reform UK’s new economic adviser has previously called the pensions triple lock unsustainable, advocated privatising the NHS and welcomed migration as a poverty alleviation tool, the Guardian can reveal.

Robert Jenrick, Reform’s economic spokesperson, has appointed Mitchell Palmer, a rightwing economist at the free-market Adam Smith Institute, as one of his key aides.

Palmer’s background is as a champion of economic liberalism, in many cases putting him to the right of Reform’s existing policy platform. His appointment comes amid tensions within the party between those who want to lean into its tax-cutting agenda and those who worry that steep cuts to welfare and other government spending will alienate voters.

Palmer has previously called for the abolition of the triple lock, arguing it is an expensive and unsustainable way to protect pensioners.

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He told GB News in April that he disagreed with Jenrick’s decision to back the triple lock, which guarantees that the state pension will rise by the highest of earnings, inflation and 2.5% every year. Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, had previously suggested the policy would be “up for debate”.

Palmer told the news channel: “The triple lock is an expensive way to ensure that pensioners have dignity in their retirement. There are ways that you can do that without the unpredictable ratcheting effect that the triple lock has.

“Pensioners almost by definition are made better off in real terms than workers and that obviously is, one, unsustainable as the number of pensioners that each worker has to pay for increases, but, two, can be seen by those younger generations as somewhat unfair.”

In a separate media appearance, this time on a podcast hosted by the former Conservative MP Steve Baker, he argued for the privatisation of the NHS. Asked by Baker if it was time to privatise the service, he replied: “Well it’s long past time, Steve.”

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