MPs are urging the government to increase support through Universal Credit for people aged 66 who may face hardship as the state pension age rises to 67. The proposal focuses on providing additional assistance to those who remain eligible for neither the state pension nor comprehensive income support during the transition period.
According to the MPs’ estimates cited in reporting, adding extra Universal Credit support for 66-year-olds would cost around £600 million. This figure is contrasted with projections for savings associated with raising the state pension age to 67, which are put at about £10.5 billion.
The coverage frames the issue as a trade-off between the fiscal impact of expanding benefits to an older age group and the longer-term budget effects of changing eligibility for the state pension. The reporting does not specify the government’s response or any formal policy timetable, but it highlights the debate among MPs over how the policy change affects people close to the pension eligibility age.
