MPs have raised concerns about recent reports that the UK Government is planning to raise the State Pension age to 68 much earlier than planned, with several pointing out that Office for National Statistics (ONS) data does not show life expectancy is increasing in all areas of Great Britain, especially Scotland.
The Sun recently reported that people born in the 1970s and later may be told they must work for longer in the Spring Budget on March 15, this would see the State Pension age rise to 68 by the end of the 2030s, instead of the mid-2040s, affecting everyone currently aged 54 and under. It will rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
During a general debate on the issue, Work and Pensions select committee chairman Sir Stephen Timms insisted ministers must publish the latest Government-backed research on the State Pension age before they make any decision to raise it. He told the Commons: “Even before the pandemic hit, the improvements in life expectancy which we had seen over the last century had almost ground to a halt.”
