Overview
- Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told MPs this week that the legally required review of the state pension age is proceeding on schedule and he would not rule out future increases.
- A staged rise from 66 to 67 is already under way and will be implemented between April 2026 and April 2028, changing eligibility dates for people born in the 1960s and early 1970s.
- Under the Pensions Act 2014 the next statutory review must be finalised by March 2029 and will draw on an independent report led by Dr Suzy Morrissey and life‑expectancy projections from the Government Actuary’s Department.
- Ministers and MPs stressed that healthy life expectancy and wide regional and occupational differences—for example in areas with long histories of physical work—must be factored into any decision to raise the pension age.
- Officials note fiscal pressure on the pay‑as‑you‑go pension system, the OBR has estimated earlier rises save significant sums, and some academics say bringing later increases forward is plausible though no policy change has been announced.