What are the changes to the state pension age for women? Q&A

The plan to raise the women’s state pension age from 60 to 65 to bring it in line with men was first revealed in the 1995 Pensions Act. In 2007 it was decided that the pensionable age for men and women would rise to 66 by April 2026. This deadline was brought forward in 2011 so that the retirement age for both sexes will be 66 by October 2020. It will rise to 67 by 2028.

What was yesterday’s legal challenge?

Most campaigners support pension age equality, but say it was introduced unlawfully. They have argued that women were not adequately informed about the changes or given enough time to adjust. The changes to the state pension age affect all women born after April 6, 1950. But those born after April 6, 1953 – who are now in their early 60s – are hit especially hard. Some have lost out on up to £50,000. The BackTo60 group argued that women born during the 1950s took time out of work to care for children, were paid less than men and could not save as much in occupational pensions, so the change

had hit them harder. It is estimated that 3.8 million women are in this position. What did the High Court judges decide?

Lord Justice Irwin and Mrs Justice Whipple dismissed the women’s case on all grounds. The judges said the Government was under no obligation to notify the women. They said there was no discrimination based on age and even if there had been it could be justified by the objective of achieving a fair and affordable pension system. They said the new laws in fact corrected historic discrimination against men by levelling the state pension age.

What happens next?

Campaigners have vowed to fight on and say they will ask Parliament to intervene. If they pursue their legal challenge, the case will go to the Court of Appeal, and possibly the Supreme Court.