An online petition garnering over 6,900 signatures is urging the UK Government to enhance weekly State Pension payments to £549 for every individual above 60, including British expats. The petitioner, Denver Johnson, advocates that the State Pension should match 48 hours of work per week at the National Living Wage, which amounts to £11.44 per hour.
Under his proposal, an annual sum of £28,554.24 would be guaranteed to roughly 12.9 million pensioners and to those aged over 60, bringing significant changes for about 453,000 retirees living abroad with their pensions frozen due to lack of bilateral agreements. The petition, labelled ‘Give State Pension to all at 60 and increase it to equal 48hrs at Living Wage’, can be found on the petitions-parliament website and declares: “We want the Government to make the State Pension available from the age of 60 and increase this to equal 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage.”
It further details: “Hence from April 2024, a universal State Pension should be £549.12 per week or about £28,554.24 per year as a right to all including expatriates, age 60 and above.”
The petition also critiques current policies, stating: “We think that Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit, while increasing the age of entitlement. We want reforms so the State Pension is available from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage.”
If the petition garners 10,000 signatures, it would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government. If it reaches 100,000, it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament, reports the Daily Record.
The New and Basic State Pensions are set to rise in April by 4.1 per cent, under the earnings growth measure of the Triple Lock. However, additional elements along with working age and disability benefits, will increase by 1.7 per cent under the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate.
The DWP recently outlined the proposed new payment rates for the 2025/26 financial year. Individuals on the full New State Pension will see payments rise by £9.05 per week from £221.20 to £230.25.
Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.
As the payment is typically made every four weeks, this amounts to £921. The uplift will see annual payments rise by £473.60 from £11,502 to £11,973 over the 2025/26 financial year.
However, it’s crucial to note that not all of the 4.1m people on the New State Pension receive the full amount as it is linked to National Insurance Contributions. Someone on the full Basic State Pension will see weekly payments rise by £6.95 per week from £169.50 to £176.45, or £705.80 every four-week payment period.
Annual payments will rise by £361.40 from £8,814 to £9,175.40 over the 2025/26 financial year. To check your own future State Pension payments, use the online forecasting tool on GOV.UK.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will soon release the complete list of uprated State Pension and benefit payments. So far, only the New and Basic State Pension rates have been confirmed, not the additional elements, which are set to rise by 1.7%.
The Labour Government has committed to maintaining the Triple Lock for the next five years.