Ex-pensions minister questions Labour's 'pension at 64' plan

Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb has warned that Labour Party plans for reduced state pensions from 64 “face serious practical obstacles.” At this week’s Labour Party Conference in Brighton, shadow work and pensions secretary Debbie Abraham is expected to say that government changes to the retirement age have been “chaotic”. She will call for women born between 1954 and 1960 to get a reduced state pension at age 64 until the full pension kicks in at age 66.Sir Steve, now director of policy at Royal London and due to be a keynote speaker at this week’s CISI-IFP Financial Planning Conference in Wales, said: “‘Writing new primary legislation, getting it through Parliament, and implementing the change on the ground is likely to take at least two years. If this legislation completed its passage through Parliament during the 2018/19 session, it would take at least another year to change government computer systems and to communicate effectively to all those who might be affected.“By the time the new law could be implemented, most of the women who had the shortest notice of state pension age changes would already be drawing a state pension. Under equalities legislation it is unlikely that this new option could be made available only to women. In addition, there are serious practical problems with allowing people to opt for an early pension which is permanently paid at a lower level than the full state pension.“For example, if the scheme is to be cost neutral, they would not be allowed to claim pension credit or other benefits to top up their low income. But if they could not do so then they could be living permanently below the poverty line throughout their retirement.”Others have also questioned the plans including AJ Bell and Barnett Waddingham.Malcolm McLean, senior consultant at Barnett Waddingham, said; “This seems similar to a suggestion made by the Work and Pensions Select Committee last year. That was firmly rejected by WASPI (women against state pension inequality campaign), and presumably still viewed as falling well short of their demand for interim payments for all the women affected back to age 60.“In any event by the time Labour comes to power, if or when they do, most of the “50s women” will have reached their state pension age under the existing rules and would be unlikely to benefit from this early retirement option. I cannot see Labour’s plans as a solution to the WASPI problem and therefore ever likely to get off the ground.”The WASPI - Women Against State Pension Inequality - campaign is fighting for a review of the raising of the state pension age, which it says has hit older women nearing retirement particularly hard, depriving many of a state pension for several years.Ms Abrahams will says she wants “justice” for women who will miss out on several years of state pension and who expected to be drawing the state pension earlier, a move which may have undermined their long term retirement planning.In the Labour manifesto for the June general election, Labour said it would look at options for “transitional protections” to help mitigate the impact of the raising of the state pension age.Despite Sir Steve’s criticism, Ms Abrahams is likely to say that any scheme would be cost-neutral in the long term.Experts will be waiting for details of the proposals.

Ex-pensions minister questions Labour's 'pension at 64' plan

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