New calls to give people earlier guarantee of annual State Pension and benefits uprating payments

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mel Stride MP has said he will return to the House of Commons “when there is something to say” about a decision on whether women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the State Pension age should receive compensation. His comments may confuse some people as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report (PHSO) published on March 21 indicated that compensation should be made.

Taylor Swift has teased some lyrics from her upcoming new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.The pop star is due to release her 11th studio record next Friday (April 19), following on from 2022’s Grammy-winning ‘Midnights’.Yesterday (April 8), Swift shared a line from the LP on her Instagram Stories to coincide with the total solar eclipse in North America. A black-and-white video showed the lyrics being punched into a typewriter.They read: “Crowd goes wild at her fingertips/ Half moonshine, Full eclipse.” Swift included a pre-order link for the album alongside a white love-heart emoji.

Evil” will premiere Thursday, May 23, on Paramount+, the streamer announced Monday. Production recently began in New York City on the previously announced four bonus episodes. Season 4 will include 14 episodes premiering weekly.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have shared a new trailer showing the band recording their upcoming album ‘Wild God’ – watch below.The Nick Cave-fronted group are due to release their “deeply and joyously infectious” 18th full-length record on August 30 (pre-order/pre-save here). Co-produced by Cave and Warren Ellis, the 10-song LP has already been previewed by its title track.Arriving yesterday (April 3), a new two-minute-15-second trailer follows the Bad Seeds as they cut the album in the studio.

The latest Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures indicate that fraud and error in the benefit system is falling after the UK Government restated its determination to drive levels down further and protect taxpayers’ money. The most-recent national statistics show that in the 2022/23 financial year, fraud and error rates fell to 3.6 per cent (£8.3 billion) from 4.0 per cent (£8.7 billion) - figures for 2023/24 are due to be published next month.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has removed the online claim forms for the 2023/24 Winter Fuel Payment for people living in the UK and retirees living abroad. The closing date for applications for the annual heating bill help was Sunday, March 31 - which means anyone who missed the deadline will not be entitled to up to £600.

An open letter to Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt MP, demanding a debate and vote in Parliament on compensation for Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, has been signed by more than 156,000 people in just 10 days.

Millions of older people in receipt of the New or Basic State Pension are set for a significant boost this year after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed payments will rise by 8.5 per cent from April 8, 2024. Those with additional State Pension elements or deferred payments, will see an uplift of 6.7 per cent.

Tori Kelly has spoken to NME about her fifth studio album ‘TORI’, saying that she finally feels like she is “owning [her] craft” and living her dreams.Last Friday (March 22), the California singer-songwriter was in London working on the soundtrack for a popular TV show, which has yet to be disclosed to the public. Speaking to NME, she reminisced on the fact that four years to the day, she was in the capital for the UK leg of what was supposed to be her first-ever world tour.

More than 39,500 people have signed an online petition calling for income tax on the State Pension to be scrapped in order to help “reduce the tax burden on pensioners” despite the UK Government rejecting the proposal earlier this year. The petition was created after it was announced in November the Personal Allowance income threshold will remain frozen at £12,570 during the 2024/25 financial year.

Millions of 1950s-born women who lost out when the State Pension age changed cannot afford to wait much longer for compensation, campaigners said as they acknowledged that for some it was “already too late”. Age UK accused the UK Government of “seemingly endlessly dragging its feet in situations when there have been clear findings of fault”, and compared the situation to concerns around the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Post Office and Contaminated Blood scandals.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced last week that an update on the progress it is making to identify and rectify historical State Pension errors will be published before the end of this month. Pensions Minister Paul Maynard MP said that the report will cover progress made up until the end of February this year.

An online petition urging the UK Government to increase the current Basic State Pension payment rate from £156.20 to £203.85 each week has now passed the 10,000 signature threshold and is entitled to an official written response, most-likely from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Shangela is facing serious accusations.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show the State Pension currently provides regular financial support for nearly 12.7 million older people across the country, including over one million retirees living in Scotland. This payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is currently 66 for men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.

More than 45,200 people have signed an online petition calling for a ‘universal’ weekly State Pension payment of nearly £550 in order to match the current hourly rate of the National Living Wage. Petition creator Michael Thompson also suggests making the option to claim State Pension available to everyone from the age of 60.

The chair of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign has indicated that the final report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) into ‘injustice caused by the maladministration’ of changes to the State Pension age, “is set to be released within weeks”.

Around one in five people across the UK are set to receive a massive cash boost from next month, as the new State Pension rates are set to increase by as much as £902 each year for people on the full benefit.

SXSW showcase have now pulled out of the festival in solidarity with Palestine.Kneecap, Sprints, Soda Blonde, Gavin James, Robert Grace, Mick Flannery, Chalk, Gurriers, Cardinals and NewDad all pulled out from the annual music, culture and arts showcase which takes place in Austin, Texas. This came after it was revealed that the US Army was a “super sponsor” of the event as well as defence contractor RTX Corporation, which has supplied weapons to Israel.Northern Irish-funded artists Enola Gay and Conchur also pulled out, joining the likes of their fellow Irish peers.UK funding channels (PRS Funded) booked the Northern Irish artists and were set to play various UK-led events that were different from the Music From Ireland showcases.

Millions of people claiming their State Pension can look forward to an inflation-busting boost next month when payments rise by 8.5 per cent from April 8. Under the wages growth measure of the Triple Lock policy, those on the full New State Pension can expect an annual increase of £902, while those on the full Basic State Pension will see an uplift of £692.