Overview
- The Parliamentary petition proposes moving 8.1 million people on the Basic State Pension to the New rate and tying it to average earnings, with 358 signatures so far and a 13 December deadline.
- ONS figures point to a 4.8% uprating from April 2026, taking the full New State Pension to £241.30 a week and the full Basic rate to £184.90, pending confirmation at the 26 November Autumn Budget.
- The uplift would put the annual full New State Pension at about £12,547, leaving it within £23 of the frozen £12,570 Personal Allowance and likely pulling more retirees into income tax.
- Campaigners highlight unequal life expectancy across regions and occupations, arguing that a single pension age delivers uneven lifetime payouts and calling for fairness-focused reforms.
- Pension provider Aegon has floated allowing claims up to three years early for a permanently reduced amount, a proposal welcomed for flexibility by some and criticised by others as risking higher pensioner poverty, with the state pension age due to rise to 67 next year.