The State Pension gender gap has narrowed to less than £5 per week for those claiming the new state pension, new government figures show.

The annual growth in average pay including bonuses hit 8.2% in June, according to figures published this morning by the Office for National Statistics.

Former Pensions Minister Baroness Altmann has called on policymakers to look at other ways to solve rising state pension costs than raising the starting age, cutting the amount or more means-testing.

Almost nine in ten (86%) mass affluent pension savers expect the State Pension to be a vital part of their retirement income, according to a new report.