17 h. ago New State Pension payment delays for older people due to retire this year

The first State Pension payment might also be higher or lower than expected even with full National Insurance contributions.

Economics

17 h. ago Starmer defends lowering voting age to 16, saying people old enough to pay tax should have a say – UK politics live

Plan to give 16 and 17-year-olds vote across UK means nearly 1.5 million more people will be to have say at general electionWhile Rushanara Ali is answering the urgent question in the Commons, Keir Starmer is speaking at the event where he is announcing a “civil society covenant”.There is a live feed here.Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket or an alcoholic drink, marry or go to war, or even stand in the elections they’re voting? It isn’t the government’s position on the age of maturity just hopelessly confused? Continue reading...

Politics

19 h. ago Retirement expert issues warning to people paying basic rate of income tax

Workplace pensions will form the backbone of income for workers in retirement.

Events

23 h. ago People on maximum PIP could see payments rise to nearly £200 every week from next April

The September CPI figure published in October will determine the annual uprating for DWP disability benefits.

Economics

42 h. ago DWP giving bonus payment to people getting state pension, PIP and other benefits

You have to be receiving one of the following benefits in the 'qualifying week' - which is usually the first full week of December - to get the bonus from the DWP

Economics

61 h. ago Innocent 'Beast of Birkenhead' Peter Sullivan now in line for £1.3m payout but lawyers say miscarriage of justice changes 'don't go nearly far enough'

The current cap on compensation payments for people wrongly jailed for 10 years or more will rise by £300,000 to £1.3million, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed.

Economics

68 h. ago Data shows immigration status of universal credit claimants for first time

Universal credit is a payment to help with living costs and is available for people on low incomes or those who are out of work or cannot work.

Politics

68 h. ago Residents charged £5 extra to have green bin emptied if they don't sign up online

'We shouldn't penalise people for not being online,' says councillor

Economics

3 d. ago Disabled people want to live a full life. Instead, we’re forced to scrap over our right to food and a wash | Frances Ryan

Britain’s political and media class advocate policies that leave disabled people hungry and dirty. Why are we expected to settle for this?There is a longstanding practice in UK politics and media to force disabled people to fight for their basic rights – a kind of gladiatorial scrap in which the Colosseum is replaced by the set of Good Morning Britain.With the government’s welfare reform bill just passed by MPs, this has felt all the more stark. In the last week alone, the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, has used a speech to declare she does not “believe” that one in four people are disabled, as if the Equality Act were based on vibes. “Twenty-eight million people in Britain are working to pay the wages and benefits of 28 million others,” she went on. “The rider is as big as the horse.”Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist. She is the author of Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls’ Guide to Life Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago People on State Pension, PIP and other benefits due extra DWP payment later this year

People will receive the one-off payment from the DWP if they are eligible during the qualifying week in December.

Economics

3 d. ago Families, pensioners and disabled people due up to £305 in extra payments this year

More than half a million children and families in Scotland received cash help for heating bills last year.

Economics

3 d. ago Shh, don't tell anyone about the wealth tax! Reeves stays tight

Chancellor Rachel Reeves pointedly only committed to holding rates on 'taxes that working people pay' amid mounting alarm.

Economics

3 d. ago New and existing Universal Credit claims under review for ‘incorrect payments’

DWP has blocked £1 billion incorrect payments in a drive to protect people from falling into debt.

Politics

3 d. ago DWP update over Blue Badges and free buses for PIP claimants after welfare reform

The government has announced that people who currently receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and use the Blue Badge scheme will not be affected by the upcoming welfare reforms

Politics

4 d. ago The Guardian view on private prosecutions: access to justice should not depend on people’s ability to pay | Editorial

An option that should provide a safety valve when the state falls short appears to be increasingly a tool for businesses – sometimes to draconian effectIn England and Wales, anyone can take a suspected criminal to court. Private criminal prosecutions, which can be initiated by individuals, companies or charities, can give people a shot at justice. They can also be open to abuse. The Post Office brought 918 successful private prosecutions against its employees to protect its own commercial interests – at a shocking human cost laid bare by an official report last week. Rail companies take the draconian measure of prosecuting people for mistakenly buying the incorrect ticket: in 2023, a woman received a criminal record for erroneously using her railcard to save a total of £1.60.In the context of a depleted justice budget, these prosecutions appear especially dystopian, allowing the wealthy to pay for their day in court. No official record exists for the number now taking place, though&...

Economics

5 d. ago Wales' Labour First Minister backs Wealth Tax and piles pressure on Keir Starmer

Eluned Morgan said those with the broadest shoulders pay more as ordinary people were desperately struggling with the cost of living

Politics

6 d. ago DWP paying people with arthritis pain up to £441 every month

Attendance Allowance is a benefit that is paid by the DWP to people over state pension age who need extra help or supervision because of a disability of illness

Economics

6 d. ago People set to retire this year could boost annual State Pension payments by up to £694

The New State Pension is worth up to £11,973 over the current financial year.

Economics

6 d. ago More people taking on second job to help pay monthly household bills

Older employees and low-paid workers are particularly worried about their income as the cost of living continues to push up outgoings.

Society

7 d. ago People on highest PIP could see payments rise to nearly £800 each month from next April

The September CPI figure published in October will determine the annual uprating for DWP disability benefits.

Economics