Tory plans to hike the state pension age to 68 could see some Brits not access their allowance until 15 years after their days of good health are over.
The Unite union and the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) will today join forces to demand the Tories rule out “an attack on the state pension”.
Campaigners are heading to the NPC’s annual gathering in Blackpool, which has the lowest healthy life expectancy in the UK – 55.3 years old for women and 53.7 years old for men.
The average healthy life expectancy for men in England is 63.1 years, for women it is 63.8 years.
Healthy life expectancy is the average number of years an individual is expected to live in a state of self-assessed good or very good health.
The current state pension age for women and men retiring now is 66, but it will rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028. A further increase to 68 is due to happen between 2044 and 2046.
A review released in 2017 called for this to be brought forward to between 2037 and 2039.
However in March the Tories announced a delay to its decision on bringing forward the state pension age until after a general election.
The UK is now 29th in overall world nation rankings for life expectancy – while in the 1950s the UK was seventh in this table.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “I’m in no doubt that Rishi Sunak and co are hell bent on raising the state pension age if they win the next general election.
“That’s why we intend to expose the Prime Minister’s cruel plan to make people work until they drop.
"In a country as wealthy as ours we can afford to retire with dignity. It’s time to fight for that right.”
Jan Shortt, NPC General Secretary said:“ The stark reality is UK life expectancy is stalling while other nations overtake us. This is a staggering government failure.
"It makes a nonsense of any attempt to push back the retirement age further – in fact the NPC, wants it to be lowered to 65 again for both men and women.
“Increasing the retirement age helps no one, especially those already out of the workforce. A raft of studies show their retirement years will be spent in ill health – if they ever make pension age.”
The Department for Work and Pensions directed the Mirror to the Conservative Campaign HQ for a response to this story as the plans relate to an election campaign.
When CCHQ were contacted for a comment, they directed the Mirror back to DWP.
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