The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has responded to calls to change the state pension age, rejecting proposals to reduce eligibility to 60 for women and 65 for men.
The response follows a parliamentary question tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Zöe Franklin, who asked Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, if the government would assess the "potential merits" of lowering the age of eligibility.
Torsten Bell, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions, dismissed the prospect of a rollback, pointing instead to historical legislative decisions and ongoing statutory obligations.
Mr Bell said: "The pace of State Pension age increases was hugely, and unfairly, accelerated by the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Coalition Government."
"The Government is required to regularly review State Pension age under the Pensions Act 2014. The Government’s third State Pension age Review is underway and will assess the rules for State Pension age based on the latest life expectancy data and other evidence."
The DWP’s stance arrives as the state pension age officially begins its incremental rise from 66 to 67 — a transition scheduled to be fully implemented over the next two years.
The shift directly impacts individuals born between April 6, 1960, and April 5, 1977, forcing many to wait up to an additional year to claim their benefits.
The policy has drawn sharp criticism from anti-poverty advocates and parliamentary committees. Data from the 2023/24 financial year reveals that 22% of people aged 60 to 64 — equivalent to approximately 876,000 individuals — were already living in poverty before the current increases took effect.
The cross-party Work and Pensions Committee recently launched an investigation into the financial income gap facing this demographic, labelling them one of the most financially vulnerable groups in the country.
"Pre-pensioners are particularly exposed," said Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams. "You could've worked a grueling 45 years as a skilled tradesperson paying taxes only to find yourself short of cash as you limp from day-to-day for more years until the pension payoff."
Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) indicates that previous pension age increases have driven up employment rates by 10 percentage points as older citizens remain in the workforce out of necessity. However, the changes have also correlated with lower life satisfaction and forced lower-income individuals to deplete private savings prematurely.
While the government maintains that a rising pension age is a necessary fiscal response to an aging population, independent experts question the foundational data.
Elaine Smith, head of employment and skills at the Centre for Ageing Better, challenged the rationale behind the policy. "The rationale behind repeatedly raising the state pension age was based on increasing life expectancy," Smith noted. "But life expectancy nationally is lower now than it was before the pandemic."
For citizens facing the gap between early retirement and state support, the DWP stated that alternative provisions remain available. A spokesperson for the department added: "Those that have not reached state pension age can access a range of support such as universal credit and other means-tested and disability-related benefits."
Under current legislation, the state pension age is scheduled to rise further to 68 between 2044 and 2046, though the exact timeline remains subject to the findings of the government's ongoing review.
