Campaigners Call For £610 Weekly State Pension From Age 60

Key Points

• A new online petition is urging the UK Government to raise the State Pension to £610 a week for everyone aged 60 and over, including British pensioners living abroad.
• Petition creator Denver Johnson has proposed linking payments to 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage rate of £12.71 an hour.
• If adopted, the change would give roughly 13 million current State Pension recipients £2,440 every four weeks, equivalent to £31,724 a year.
• Around 453,000 pensioners whose payments are frozen abroad because their country of residence has no reciprocal agreement with the UK would also benefit.
• The petition needs 10,000 signatures for a formal Government response and 100,000 for possible debate in Parliament.
• Under the existing Triple Lock, the New and Basic State Pension rose by 4.8 per cent in April, taking the full New State Pension to £241.30 a week.
• State Pension income remains taxable once combined with other earnings above the Personal Allowance, according to GOV.UK guidance.

Westminster (Britain Today News) July 04, 2026 – A new online petition is calling on the UK Government to increase State Pension payments to £610 a week for every person over the age of 60, including Britons living abroad in retirement. Petition creator Denver Johnson proposes increasing payments to equal 48 hours each week at the National Living Wage rate of £12.71 per hour, in a move that would represent a significant departure from the current State Pension system.

What Does The New Petition Actually Ask For?

The petition, titled

“Give State Pension to all at 60 and increase it to equal 48hrs of Living Wage,”

has been posted on the petitions-parliament website. It calls for two distinct reforms to be introduced together: lowering the qualifying age for the State Pension to 60, and recalculating the weekly rate so that it matches 48 hours of pay at the National Living Wage. At the current rate of £12.71 an hour, that calculation produces a weekly figure of £610, substantially higher than either the New or Basic State Pension paid today.

The petition states:

“We want the Government to make the State Pension available from age 60 and increase it to equal 48hrs a week at the National Living Wage.”

Who Created The Petition And Why?

The petition was created by Denver Johnson, who argues that the current system unfairly excludes growing numbers of people from receiving the pension at all, while continuing to push back the age of eligibility. Johnson’s proposal frames the change as a matter of fairness and financial security for older citizens, rather than a temporary boost.

The petition adds:

“We think that Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit not paid to all, while ever increasing the age of entitlement. We want reforms to the State Pension, so that it is available to all including expatriates, from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage, for security.”

How Much Would Pensioners Receive Under The Proposal?

According to the figures set out in the petition, the proposed £610 weekly rate would translate into £2,440 for every four-week payment period. Over a full year, this would amount to £31,724 per person, a figure that campaigners argue reflects a genuine living income rather than a supplementary payment. The petition estimates that around 13 million people currently receiving the State Pension, as well as others over the age of 60 who do not yet qualify under existing rules, would be entitled to the higher rate if the proposal were adopted.

What Would Happen To State Pensions Frozen Abroad?

A significant element of the petition addresses the position of British pensioners living overseas. Under current rules, State Pension payments are frozen at the point a person emigrates if the country they move to does not have a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK Government. The petition states that approximately 453,000 retirees are affected by this policy, meaning their pension has not risen in line with annual increases since they left the UK. Under the proposals set out in the petition, this frozen group would also be brought up to the new £610 weekly rate, effectively reversing years of frozen payments in a single change.

What Happens Once The Petition Reaches Key Signature Thresholds?

Petitions submitted through the official petitions-parliament website follow a defined process. Once a petition reaches 10,000 signatures, it becomes entitled to a written response from the UK Government, setting out its position on the issue raised. If the petition goes on to reach 100,000 signatures, it becomes eligible to be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament. Neither threshold guarantees a change in policy, but both mechanisms increase the visibility of the issue and place pressure on ministers to respond publicly.

How Does The Triple Lock Currently Affect State Pension Increases?

Under the Triple Lock measure, State Pensions increase each year in line with whichever is highest out of three figures: average annual earnings growth measured from May to July, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation in the year to September, or a fixed minimum of 2.5 per cent. This mechanism has been in place for a number of years and is designed to protect the value of pension income against inflation and wage growth, though it does not address eligibility age or the wider structural questions raised by the new petition.
Explore More about Politics:
‘National Disgrace’: Asylum Seekers Given New-Build Homes While Veterans Wait On Housing List
Armed Forces Bill Passes Second Reading in House of Lords

How Much Is The State Pension Currently Worth Each Week?

The New and Basic State Pension both increased by 4.8 per cent in April, under the Triple Lock calculation. As a result, someone receiving the full New State Pension now gets £241.30 a week, which equates to £965.20 for every four-week payment period. Those on the full Basic State Pension, which applies to people who reached State Pension age before the New State Pension was introduced, currently receive £184.90 a week, or £739.60 every four weeks. Both figures remain considerably below the £610 weekly rate proposed in the petition.

Is The State Pension Subject To Income Tax?

Yes. Guidance published on GOV.UK confirms that pensioners are liable for tax if their total annual income exceeds their Personal Allowance. The guidance states:

“You pay tax if your total annual income adds up to more than your Personal Allowance. Find out about your Personal Allowance and Income Tax rates.”

This means that while the State Pension itself is paid gross, without tax deducted at source, it still counts towards a person’s total taxable income for the year, and may push some pensioners over the threshold at which tax becomes payable.

What Other Income Counts Alongside The State Pension For Tax Purposes?

GOV.UK guidance sets out a number of income sources that are added together with the State Pension when calculating a person’s total taxable income. These include the Basic or New State Pension itself, any Additional State Pension entitlement, income from a private pension whether workplace-based or personal (some of which can typically be taken tax-free), earnings from employment or self-employment, any taxable benefits received, and other income such as money from investments, property or savings. Pensioners considering the implications of a significantly higher State Pension rate, such as the one proposed in the petition, would need to factor in how such a change might interact with existing tax thresholds and other income streams.

What Would Change If The Petition Succeeds?

If the Government were to adopt the reforms proposed in the petition, the changes would represent one of the most substantial shifts to the State Pension system in decades. Lowering the qualifying age to 60 would extend eligibility to millions of people who do not currently receive the pension, while linking the rate to the National Living Wage would create a fundamentally different method of calculating payments compared with the existing Triple Lock. The proposal would also end the freezing of payments for pensioners living in countries without a reciprocal agreement with the UK, a policy that has long been the subject of separate campaigns by affected expatriates.

For now, the petition remains in its early stages, and its progress will depend on how many signatures it attracts in the coming weeks. Should it reach the 10,000-signature threshold, campaigners can expect a formal response from the Government addressing the proposals directly, though any wider change to State Pension policy would likely require significantly broader parliamentary and public support before being considered for implementation.