Overview
- Ministers published 2026/27 rates, with State Pension payments rising 4.8% from April 6 and many disability and working‑age benefits up 3.8%, taking the full new pension to £241.30 a week (£12,547 a year).
- Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden reaffirmed there will be no blanket compensation for 1950s‑born women despite the Ombudsman’s maladministration finding, citing fairness, cost and verification concerns.
- Women Against State Pension Inequality launched a fresh letter‑writing drive for a binding parliamentary vote, with a separate petition topping 56,000 signatures calling for an apology and compensation.
- The DWP defended the rule that blocks mixed‑age couples from Pension Credit, saying there are no plans to change it, as Independent Age warned households can lose £5,000–£7,000 a year under the policy.
- Around 453,000 UK pensioners living in countries without reciprocal agreements will not receive the April uprating, a long‑running ‘frozen pensions’ issue highlighted by campaigners seeking reform.