London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 11, 2025

Plans to accelerate rise in state pension age frozen

Plans to accelerate rise in state pension age frozen

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said uncertainty around life expectancy and the public finances had driven the decision - which Labour branded 'a damning indictment of 13 years of failure'.
The government has frozen plans to accelerate the rise in the state pension age.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride confirmed the move following newspaper reports that suggested the government was erring over the plans.

The age at which the state pension is payable currently stands at 66, and by the end of 2028, it will have risen to 67.

Increasing the state pension age to 68 was scheduled to happen between 2044 and 2046 - but ministers had been contemplating bringing that forward to between 2037 to 2039.

Mr Stride said he agreed the rise in the state pension age from 66 to 67 should occur between 2026 and 2028 as planned, but that parliament should "consider the rise to age 68 again".

He said that decision will be delayed until after the next election, with another review taking place "within two years of the next parliament".

Increasing the state pension age had been on the cards because of the trend of people living longer. However, the coronavirus pandemic changed that, reducing the life expectancy for women by one year and 1.3 years for men - removing a key justification for changing the rules.

The decision to delay the changes could also have been influenced by France - where violent protests have erupted at President Emmanuel Macron's proposals to raise the state pension age to 64 - and the Tories' own electoral prospects.

Mr Stride told MPs: "Given the level of uncertainty about the data on life expectancy, labour markets and the public finances, and the significance of these decisions on the lives of millions of people, I am mindful a different decision might be appropriate once these factors are clearer.

"I therefore plan for a further review to be undertaken within two years of the next parliament to consider the rise to age 68 again."

'Responsible and reasonable approach'

The cabinet minister defended his approach, saying it "continues to provide certainty for those planning for retirement" while ensuring in the longer term, it is "sustainable and fair across the generations".

He said the government "remains committed" to the principle of the 10-year notice of changes to the state pension age.

"The approach I'm setting out today is a responsible and reasonable one," he said.

"One that continues to provide certainty for those planning for retirement, while ensuring that we take the time to get this right for the longer term, so that the state pension can continue to provide security in retirement and is sustainable and fair across the generations."

Mr Stride confirmed that the increase in life expectancy has "slowed" since the first state pension age review was carried out in 2017 - a trend he said was being seen "to a varying degree across much of the developed world".

He cited an independent report by Baroness Neville-Rolfe carried out in 2022, which he said "highlights an important challenge: a growing pensioner age population and the affordability and fiscal sustainability of the state pension".

"As a society we should celebrate improvements in life expectancy, which has driven rapidly over the past century and is projected to continue to increase," he said.

'Not exactly a sign of strength'

The announcement swiftly received a hostile reception from former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said: "Unlike the Labour Party I don't welcome this decision.

"That life expectancy from retirement from the 1940s to today has increased by seven years, which would indicate a retirement age of 72 rather than of 67 or 68.

"The benefit of long-term decision-making is that it gives everybody the chance to plan well in advance. And the delaying the decision is a decision in itself, and is not exactly a sign of strength."

Labour's shadow work and pension secretary Jon Ashworth welcomed the delay but said the stalling life expectancy rates that drove it were a "damning indictment".

"Today's announcement that they are not going ahead with accelerating the state pension age is welcome, and it is the right one," he said.

"But it is the clearest admission yet that a rising tide of poverty is dragging life expectancy down for so many, and stalling life expectancy, going backwards in some of the poorest communities, is a damning indictment of 13 years of failure which the minister should have acknowledged and apologised for today."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
×