The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued a response to calls for the State Pension to be paid to everyone in retirement at the same rate as the National Living Wage.
More than 32,500 people have signed the petition which supports the proposal put forward by Joseph Coyle. He highlighted how the National Living Wage for someone aged 23 or over, working a 35-hour week, is worth £16,919.99 per year after income tax and National Insurance deductions, the Daily Record reports.
However, the full New State Pension is worth £10,600 for the 2023/24 financial year. Despite this, the DWP confirmed that the government has no plans to increase the State Pension age to the same rate as the National Living Wage. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features It added that the different rates serve "different purposes" and that a "direct comparison cannot be drawn" between the two.
The petition proposed making changes that would see 12.6m pensioners receive £364.70 each week, or just under £19,000 a year.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk