A petition calling for the State Pension to be increased to £14,560 has gathered 14,520 signatures in a month, surpassing the 10,000 threshold that requires an official response from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for a parliamentary debate.
Petition urges minimum wage parity
The petition, created by Richard Sobey MBE, urges the government led by Andy Burnham to ensure the Minimum State Pension equals the National Minimum Wage for under-18s. It argues that the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over is £23,132 per year, based on a 35-hour week and 52-week year, while the National Minimum Wage for under-18s is £14,560 on the same basis. The petition notes that a full New State Pension is only £12,564.
The petition states: "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."
Pensioner poverty statistics
According to Age UK, approximately 1.9 million pensioners, about one in six older people, live in poverty across the UK. The Living Wage Foundation's research, based on polling of low-income pensioners, found that more than half (54%) of pensioners on a low income struggle to keep up with bills and credit commitments.
The research also revealed that 42% of pensioners on a low income considered themselves to be middle- to high-earners for most of their working lives. Two in five (40%) retirees on a low income say they are struggling more now than when they were working.
Triple lock and tax projections
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, according to Mr Burnham. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures show that around 9,570,000 people aged 65 and over paid income tax in 2025-26, with the number expected to reach 10,200,000 in 2026-27.
The number of income tax payers over State Pension age was 9,080,000 in 2025-26, expected to jump to 9,580,000 in 2026-27. Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister 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, over one million more than the 6,600,000 higher rate payers in 2024-25. The total number of people paying income tax in 2026-27 is projected to be around 40,800,000.
