𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Support is soaring for a campaign calling on people to have their State Pensions boosted to £14,560 – raising millions out of poverty in their own age. A petition on the parliament website has zoomed to 14,520 backers in a month – showing the strength of feeling.

Now, because it has passed 10,000 signups, the Department for Work and Pensions must make an official response. It also means that if it gets to 100,000 signups, it will be considered for a Parliamentary debate, meaning the government would be forced to stand up, listen to the arguments and defend its position – and potentially outline any changes.

The petition created by Richard Sobey MBE urges the Andy Burnham government that ‘Minimum State Pension should equal the National Minimum Wage for under 18s.’ It said: “The National Living Wage age for 21+ is now £23,132 (35-hour week; 52-week year). Even the National Minimum Wage for under-18s is £14,560 (same basis). My full New State Pension is only £12,564 after working for a lifetime.

“I believe for 65+ a minimum UK standard of living is £14,500 and the State Pension should match this.

“The full New State Pension lags well behind those in Europe (UK only 13th of 28). Even an apprentice, or under-18 worker, is now legislated to earn a salary of at least £14,560. For 18 to 20-year-old workers, this National Minimum Wage equates to £19,747 per annum. For those who have worked and paid NI and taxes all their lives, we believe a full State Pension of £12,564 is just not fair and equitable and the State Pension should be at least the £14,500 necessary for a minimum.”

Approximately 1.9 million pensioners (about 1 in 6 older people) live in poverty across the UK, struggling with basic living costs despite State Pension increases, according to Age UK. Living Wage Org said more than half (54%) of pensioners on a low income find it a struggle to keep up with bills and credit commitments, causing misery and worry to hundreds of thousands of retirees. The findings are revealed in research by the Living Wage Foundation based on polling of pensioners who are on a low income.

It said: “Just because you were well-paid in your working life doesn’t necessarily mean you can look forward to a comfortable retirement either. 42% of pensioners on a low income considered themselves to be middle- to high-earners for the bulk of their working lives before retirement. Rising living costs combined with reduced income means 2 in 5 (40%) retirees on a low income say they are struggling more now than when they were working.”

The triple lock, which raises the State Pension each year by the highest of inflation, average wage growth or 2.5%, will not be scrapped, Mr Burnham has said. The number of people aged 65 and over who are paying income tax is expected to have broken through the 10 million mark this tax year, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures.

Around 9,570,000 people in this age bracket were paying income tax in 2025-26. In 2026-27, the number of people aged 65 and over expected to be paying income tax was put at 10,200,000 in the HMRC data.

The number of income tax payers over State Pension age was 9,080,000 in 2025-26, with an expected jump to 9,580,000 in 2026-27.

The State Pension age has started a phased rise, gradually increasing in steps from 66 to 67.

Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister who is now a partner at consultants LCP (Lane Clark & Peacock), said: “The surge in older people paying income tax is continuing.”

David Brooks, head of policy at financial services consultancy Broadstone, said: “Pensioners are not a uniform group and, while some rely heavily on the state pension, many benefit from occupational and private pension savings built up over decades.”

HMRC’s figures also showed that around 7,700,000 people are projected to be higher rate income tax payers in 2026-27, which is just over one million more people compared with the 6,600,000 higher rate income tax payers two years earlier, in 2024-25.

HMRC said the number of people paying income tax in 2026-27 is projected to be around 40,800,000

Read and sign the petition here.