Plans to bring forward a planned rise in the State Pension age to 68 have been put on hold amid falling life expectancy across the UK. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride announced to MPs in the Commons on Thursday that the planned rise to 67 will go ahead, but any move to increase it further to 68 will be reviewed in two years, after the next general election, to take into account the outcome of an independent review.
During a formal meeting in front of the Work and Pensions Committee on Wednesday, Mr Stride would not be drawn on whether State Pension age changes would be happening earlier than planned, telling the cross-party group of MPs that an announcement would be made “by the statutory deadline of May 7, when all will be revealed”.
State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women and is due to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, with a further rise to 68 planned between 2044 and 2046. However, reports earlier this year suggested that the UK Government wants to bring the rise to 68 forward to the mid-2030s.
