State pension age rise to 68 will not be brought forward - government to say

The government is expected to announce it will not bring forward the date the state pension age is due to rise to 68.

The work and pensions secretary is expected to tell MPs on Thursday that now is not the time to make the change, and any decision will be pushed back till after the next general election.

The state pension age is 66 and is due to rise to 68 from 2046.

A previous government review in 2017 had suggested the rise could be brought forward into the late 2030s.

By law the government is required to examine planned changes to the system every six years, and the latest review takes into account factors such as the costs involved and life expectancy, which is no longer due to rise as quickly as previously projected.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride will make a statement in the House of Commons later to confirm the conclusions of the latest statutory review on the pension age.

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said: "The government is required by law to regularly review the State Pension age and the next review will be published by May 7."

The review by Baroness Neville-Rolfe was looking at what factors the government should take into account when setting the pension age.

At the moment, the age limit is based on ensuring no-one spends more than one third of their adult life in retirement. A separate review by the government's actuary was examining the latest life expectancy data.

State pension increases currently set out in legislation are: