Overview
- The third independent review moved to its next stage after the 24 October call for evidence closed, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves expecting an independent report by March 2029.
- Industry bodies urge statutory safeguards including at least 12 years’ notice before any future increase and an option to claim earlier with an actuarial reduction, and they caution against an automatic age-adjustment mechanism.
- The government has asked the review to assume the Triple Lock endures indefinitely, a stance experts say will add fiscal pressure and increase the incentive to lift the pension age further.
- Fairness concerns intensified as officials and campaigners highlighted wide life-expectancy gaps across the UK, with research contrasting nearly 20 years of payments in Kensington and Chelsea with just over six in Blackpool.
- Legislated changes remain on track for the State Pension age to rise from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028; the DWP will notify affected people, GOV.UK tools can confirm ages, and HMRC’s digital NI top-up service has an 5 April 2025 deadline for backfilling older years.