DWP secretary Liz Kendall makes Triple Lock state pension announcement
The Triple Lock – which guarantees that the State Pension increases annually by the highest of inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5% – means the basic and new State Pensions are increasing by 4.1%, well above the current level of inflation.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: "Our ironclad commitment to the Triple Lock gives pensioners across the country the certainty and security they need to live a full life in retirement. We are putting more money in people's pockets and driving up household income as part of our Plan for Change."
READ MORE: Broadway Boy comforted through the night as trainer makes Sunday morning statement
READ MORE: Geraint Thomas' wife left in tears on live TV after horror crash sent him off side of cliff
Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said: "Raising the State Pension and rescuing the NHS – these are this government's priorities to give all pensioners the dignity they deserve in their retirement. Those who have worked hard throughout their lives, paying into the system, are owed nothing less.
"We're improving the lives of millions of pensioners through our £7.84 billion additional funding for the State Pension this year. That means up to £470 extra in pensioners' pockets from this week and comes alongside our work to boost Pension Credit uptake, and the £26 billion we've invested in the NHS that has seen waiting lists in England fall for 5 months in a row.
"Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: "With today's increase in working-age benefits, and our ironclad commitment to pensioners through the Triple Lock, we are making the decisions that support those who need it in Britain, putting money into people's pockets and delivering our Plan for Change."
The uprating of State Pensions comes alongside proposals for the biggest welfare reforms for a generation. Changes include making Winter Fuel Payments means tested last winter - which has seen 50,000 extra people apply for and gain Pension Credit since the summer – an increase of 64% compared to the same period last year.
Pension Credit is worth on average £4,300 a year and also unlocks support including help with Housing Costs, Council Tax and free television licenses.
New support also includes a £742 million extension of the Household Support Fund in England, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026, providing support with the cost of essentials such as food, heating and bills.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Could an outright ban on zero-hours contracts harm working mums?
Since the Labour government came into power in the summer of 2024, ministers have pledged to crackdown on 'exploitative' zero-hours contracts as part of changes to the employment bill. Under the new rules proposed, employers will have to offer workers a contract that guarantees a minimum number of hours every week – a change many see as a significant step forward for job security. More than one million people in the UK are working on a zero-hours contract basis, in areas ranging from hospitality and warehouses to the NHS. Women are disproportionately affected by the precarious nature of zero-hours work, which contributes to the gender pay gap. Read more: Why did shared parental leave fail in the UK? According to the Trades Union Congress, women are 34% more likely than men to be on such contracts, and they earn nearly £10 less an hour than men who aren't on them. However, some argue that an outright ban, without tackling the growing shortage of flexible jobs, won't truly level the playing field for women and working mothers. Chronic lack of flexible work In a push to pre-pandemic flexible working arrangements, almost half of all businesses across the UK now want staff back in the office on a full-time basis, a British Chambers of Commerce survey of more than 500 businesses found. At the same time, more than a million UK workers have quit their jobs in the past year because of a lack of flexibility. This U-turn is hitting mothers hard, with one in four forced to leave the workforce because it's impossible to work and care for children without adequate flexibility. 'An outright ban on zero‑hours contracts could indeed harm working mothers, but not for the reasons you'd expect,' says Elizabeth Willets, founder of the recruitment firm Investing in Women. 'The issue isn't that women choose precarious work. It's that our labour market offers so few truly flexible, professional-level roles – and zero‑hours contracts often become the only way to combine work and caregiving.' Women aren't taking on zero-hours roles by choice. For many, there is no quality flexible or part-time equivalent. According to the 2023 Flexible Jobs Index by Timewise, the number of jobs advertised as flexible has plateaued. Only 31% overtly offer it – which is a negligible change from 30% in 2022. 'It leaves women balancing insecurity against inflexibility as their only options,' says Willets. Women need enough to live and plan on That being said, there's a need to balance flexibility with financial stability. For those without guaranteed hours, it's hard to anticipate income and schedule childcare in advance, says Rachel Carell, founder and CEO of childcare organisation Koru Kids. 'We've worked with many working mums as freelancers doing things like marketing and design – but rarely on zero hours,' she says. 'I've heard again and again that flexibility is vital, but so is the ability to plan and earn enough to live on. Zero-hours contracts rarely offer that.' Read more: What to expect from a maternity discrimination employment tribunal About 80% of zero-hours contract workers want regular hours, with 75% reporting financial hardship due to insufficient hours. And, these contracts can sometimes limit flexibility too. According to TUC research, two-thirds (67%) of mothers on zero-hours contracts have difficulty managing work with childcare – and two-thirds have missed out on a planned family event because of needing to work. When Carell launched the business, most of the nannies were on zero-hours contracts. 'But we moved away from these contracts voluntarily, because we heard from Koru Kids nannies that they didn't provide the security the nannies needed. We worked with parents to design new contracts that still gave flexibility, but also offered predictable hours and income,' she explains. Finding a flexible middle ground Clearly, change is needed – but simply banning zero-hours contracts may not be the solution. What could be done to keep those who rely on flexibility in the workforce, without forcing them to sacrifice their income? 'Countries like New Zealand, Germany and Ireland have shown ways to regulate zero-hours use while preserving flexibility,' says Willets. In 2016, New Zealand banned the insecurity of zero-hours contracts, not the adaptability. Employers still get to increase hours when needed, but workers start from a guaranteed base, are compensated for standby time and can decline extra work without fear of losing future shifts. 'Short-term reforms could also include guaranteed minimum hours after six months, notice periods for shift changes and pension contributions from day one, regardless of earning thresholds,' adds Willets. 'In the long-term? The real fix lies in businesses offering genuine alternatives like quality job shares, part-time roles aligned with professional pay scales, term-time contracts that don't penalise women and flexible working from day one.' Offering quality part-time work in senior roles would no doubt help to narrow the gender pay gap, which widens at higher salary levels. Below salaries of £20,000, 22% of job adverts offer part-time work, but this almost halves to 12% at the £20k point. And, it reduces to just 6% amongst jobs paid more than £60,000 a year. Improving access to promotions for part-time workers is also key. Michelle Chikanda, who founded the leadership firm Legacy Never Dies to work around her 2-year old son, adds that a ban on zero-hours could lead to more permanent and consistent work being available, if the government aids businesses. 'A ban must be matched with tax incentives for businesses that reduce the cost of hiring certain groups of people, like working mothers, creating a sustainable solution for all parties,' she says. Ultimately, the goal should be to replace zero-hours contracts with stable, flexible roles that don't force women into choosing between work, stability and their families. 'That's how we build real equity,' says Willets. 'Not with one-size-fits-all reform, but with thoughtful change grounded in lived reality.' Read more: How to speak to your boss about miscarriage How to stay motivated during a long job hunt Does mental health first aid work?Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
10-08-2025
- Business Insider
About 10,400 foreign nationals in UK prisons could face immediate deportation under new plan
Foreign nationals currently serving sentences in UK prisons could be deported immediately under new proposals announced by the justice secretary. The UK justice secretary has announced proposals to deport foreign nationals serving sentences in UK prisons. This plan aims to alleviate prison overcrowding and reduce costs by ensuring non-citizen offenders serve their sentences abroad. Deportable offenders will be prohibited from re-entering the country once removed. The plan aims to accelerate the removal of offenders who are not British citizens, ease pressure on the prison system, and ensure that those convicted of crimes in the UK serve their punishment abroad. Official Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data shows that foreign nationals account for around 12% of the UK's prison population, with approximately 10,400 individuals currently in custody. According to the BBC, the MoJ disclosed that once offenders are deported, the receiving country will decide whether they go on to serve their sentences. The government estimates that each prison place costs about £54,000 per year, and ministers argue the policy would free up capacity for UK offenders while saving public funds spent on housing foreign inmates. Under the proposed changes, foreign nationals given custodial sentences - particularly fixed-term sentences could be removed from the UK as soon as their conviction is secured. Once deported, they would be barred from re-entering the country. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the BBC that foreign criminals would be sent 'packing' if they 'abuse our hospitality and break our laws.' She added: ' This government is taking radical action to deport foreign criminals, as part of our Plan for Change. Deportations are up under this government, and with this new law they will happen earlier and faster than ever before.' UK govt outline fresh deportation framework The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says life-sentence prisoners, including terrorists and murderers, will serve their full term in the UK before possible deportation. Deportation decisions after sentencing will rest with prison governors, while authorities can keep offenders in custody if they pose security risks. The MoJ defines a foreign national under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act. If passed, the new powers could be applied to those already in prison, meaning the government could begin deportations immediately. This could significantly impact African immigrants in UK prisons, particularly those serving fixed-term sentences, who may be among the first to face expedited removal once the law comes into effect. The justice secretary has argued that the policy would also serve as a deterrent to foreign criminals. However, its implementation will depend on the UK's ability to coordinate deportations with other countries, including those with which it already has prisoner transfer agreements. The approach bears some similarity to former U.S. President Donald Trump's third country deportation policy, which sought to remove migrants swiftly to other states to deter illegal entry.
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Yahoo
State pensioners born before certain date will lose £216 to DWP
State pensioners born before 1951 are receiving up to £2,797 less annually in State Pension payments. Men born before April 6, 1951 and women born before April 6, 1953, are entitled to the basic State Pension. But the old, Basic rate is currently valued at £176.45 per week compared to the new State Pension, which is paid at a rate of £230.25 per week if you receive the full amount – £53.80 more per week or £216 a month. According to research published by House of Commons Library, there were an estimated 12.95 million state pensioners in Great Britain in 2024/25. Around two thirds (8.57 million pensioners) were claiming the pre - 2016 State Pension, while 4.38 million were new State Pension claimants. READ MORE State pensioners face working 'beyond age 70' because of 2015 rule The new State Pension was introduced in April 2016. New State Pension claimants are forecast to equal pre-2016 State Pension claimants by 2028/29. The basic State Pension (BSP) – a contributory flat-rate benefit to which people built entitlement on the basis of their National insurance (NI) record. The additional State Pension – this depended on the earnings or deemed earnings during their working life since 1978. People built up entitlement through the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) between 1978 and 2002, and the State Second Pension (S2P) from 2002 onwards. It was possible to contract out into a private pension scheme that met set requirements, in return for which the employee (and their employer) paid a lower rate of NI. The basic State Pension (BSP) was awarded to individuals who had claimed it, had reached State Pension age, and met the qualifying conditions.2 Entitlement was based on the number of qualifying years an individual had built up. A 'qualifying year' for the purposes of the basic State Pension is one in which a person has paid, been treated as having paid, or been credited with enough National Insurance contributions on their earnings for it to count as a qualifying year. For people reaching State Pension age before 6 April 2010, the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension was 44 for men and 39 for women. There were several ways people could increase their entitlement – such as paying voluntary NICs, deferring (delaying making a claim, to receive a higher rate at a later date), or claiming on the basis of the contribution record of a spouse or civil partner.
