State Pension age compensation Bill for millions of WASPI women due in Parliament this week

MSPs have backed the Scottish Government’s call for “compensation in full” to be paid to women impacted by changes to their State Pension age. In a Holyrood debate on Wednesday, the Scottish Parliament voted by 75 votes to zero, with 52 abstentions, which included Scottish Labour.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has said that he can “rule out” raising the State Pension age to fund the UK Government’s plan to abolish National Insurance (NI) contributions, but added that the policy will take “a number of Parliaments” to achieve. His comments came just hours after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured MPs that State Pension payments would not be cut to fund his ambition to scrap NI contributions.

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.

BT is set to scrap another complimentary service this week, following the discontinuation of its physical phone book. The telecoms giant is pulling the plug on its online phone directory this week, leaving customers without the digital option to look up individual or business phone numbers after April 30.

Billie Eilish has announced a ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ 2024-2025 UK, North America, Europe and Australian world tour. Check out dates and ticket details below.In support of her upcoming third studio album ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT‘ – which is set for release on May 17 and available for pre-order / pre-save here – Eilish will embark on a massive world tour.Kicking off on September 29 at the Centre Videotron in Québec, the ‘Bad Guy’ singer will make her way across North America through the end of December 2024.

The UK Government has rejected calls in an online petition to scrap the income tax threshold for people in receipt of the State Pension or benefits. More than 20,300 people have signed the e-petition created by Kenneth Bardsley, who argues that the taxation is “punishing pensioners and those on some benefits” and “pushing people even deeper into poverty”.

Taylor Swift, and have posted their own screamo music onto it. The New Jersey group have managed to obtain use of the URL taylorswift.bandcamp.com, and the first post on the page is a blistering 62-second track named ‘Taylor Swift 1’.

Netflix is removing a large number of films and TV shows from its service this April – you can find the full list of titles below.As well as adding a wide selection of new titles, the UK and US versions of the streaming platform will be removing some of their most popular movies and series.

Retirement expert Adam Pope from Spencer Churchill Claims Advice has warned that nearly two million people over State Pension age will feel the financial impact of the freeze on the Personal Allowance within the next four years. The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are nearly 12.7 million people over State Pension age across Great Britain, including more than 1.1m living in Scotland.

TikTok in the United States unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the platform’s US stakes.The bill – which was voted for 79 to 18 – is next expected to be signed by President Joe Biden, who has previously indicated that he will approve of the legislation once it hits his desk. Tuesday’s vote comes three days after it cleared the House of Representatives.Should the bill be passed, ByteDance will have an estimated nine months to sell TikTok.

EXCLUSIVE: Ethan Coen has rounded out the cast for his comedy Honey Don’t! for Focus Features and Working Title, on which we were first to report. Newcomers include Charlie Day (Fool’s Paradise), Billy Eichner (Bros), Lera Abova (Anna), Jacnier (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory National Tour), Gabby Beans (Presumed Innocent), Talia Ryder (Dumb Money), Kristin Connolly (The Cabin in the Woods), Lena Hall (Your Friends & Neighbors), Don Swayze (All Saints Day), Josh Pafchek (Marvel’s Runaways), Kale Brown (Mike), Alexander Carstoiu (Magnolia Flowers) and Christin Antidormi (Netflix’s Lincoln Lawyer).

Scotland’s First Minister has urged Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer to be “on the right side of history” in delivering compensation for women impacted by changes to the State Pension age. Humza Yousaf has written to who he said are the “current and future” incumbents of Downing Street after he met with Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday.

Tommy Fury has shared a four-word statement with fans as he was seen sporting a very different look during his latest break with Molly-Mae Hague. The pair weren't back on UK soil for very long before they headed to Disneyland Paris for a few days.

The Scottish Government will replace Winter Fuel Payments with a new devolved lump sum later this year. Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) is set to be provided on a like-for-like basis to its Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) counterpart and paid to everyone over the State Pension age every year.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, has offered an update on possible State Pension compensation for WASPI women.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that the State Pension currently provides a regular financial income for nearly 12.7 million older people across the country, including more than 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 both men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance (NI) contributions.

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.

Mae Muller and Self Esteem are set to perform as part of this week’s Club NME event. Grab free tickets here and find all the details below.The legendary Club NME series returned last September with Courteeners playing in London before Blossoms delivered a special show in Manchester earlier this year.On Friday (April 12) Club NME will take over London’s Scala in King’s Cross, with Muller due to deliver a live headline set at the venue.

Just days before its debut, Fallout looks to be assured a second season thanks to a $25 million tax credit from California.

Guy Lodge Film Critic It’s no great slight to “Scoop” to say that it’s no more compelling than the real-life news broadcast on which it pivots. It’s also no less compelling than said broadcast, which was, after all, a doozy: the 2019 episode of “BBC Newsnight” in which anchor Emily Maitlis interviewed Prince Andrew about his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.