Overview
- The state pension age is 66 and is legislated to rise to 67 by 2028 and to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
- Economist Frances Coppola argues for bringing forward the move to 68 and exploring a rise to at least 70 to reduce economic inactivity and safeguard future prosperity.
- Construction manager Michael Parinchy proposes a ‘wear‑and‑tear’ early‑retirement route based on cumulative physical load, backed by HSE, Lancet and ONS evidence, plus measures to make late‑career office work sustainable.
- Gen Z writer Sophie Butcher warns further increases would push younger workers toward retiring in their 70s, highlighting housing unaffordability, the triple lock for current retirees and intergenerational inequities.
- A new review of the state pension age has begun, with Phoenix Insights estimating nearly three million people would be affected if the rise to 68 were brought forward to the early 2040s, as the pension bill is projected at about £146bn in 2025–26.