Mark Pemberthy, benefits consulting leader at insurance broker Gallagher, issued a warning

08:46, 26 Aug 2025Updated 10:49, 26 Aug 2025

State pensioners set to receive state pension for 'just three years of lifetime'State pensioners set to receive state pension for ‘just three years of lifetime’

State pensioners have been issued a warning over an “unfair” change for people from one part of UK. Mark Pemberthy, benefits consulting leader at insurance broker Gallagher, issued a warning over older people potentially having to wait until their 70s to claim their Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) payments.

He said: “Increasing the state pension age to 70 may make sense for an analyst for an independent think tank in the South-East, but if you are in a manual occupation in Blackpool, where the average male life expectancy sits at 73 years – the lowest in the UK – a change to 70 wouldn’t be fair at all.”

Mr Pemberty said: “In Denmark, the state pension age is set to increase to 70 by 2040. It is one of nine OECD countries to automatically link state pension ege to life expectancy.

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“However, Denmark and the United Kingdom are two very different economies, with two very different measures of quality of life. Any recommendations to increase the state pension age must consider the UK’s specific economic context, as well as significant differences in life expectancy across the United Kingdom.”

He went on and also said: “Life expectancy varies across regions and professions, and any sweeping changes to the retirement age may risk deepening inequalities in the state pension system.

“In short, this is a really sensitive and complex issue and the review will get input from a wide range of organisations and experts in these areas before recommending a framework that should balance all of these factors.

“And if it becomes the norm for workers to stay in the job market until their seventies, the Labour Party government will need to make sure there are also policies which facilitate this for employers and employees, such as flexible working and wellbeing support.”