The life expectancy for British men who have reached the age of 65 – old enough to qualify for state pension benefits – has increased by about 10 per cent since the start of the decade, a rate of improvement likely to fuel the debate on the state pension age.

The latest data suggest that plans to begin raising the pension age gradually to hit 68 by 2046 may be much more costly than anyone had previously imagined. A 10 per cent rise in life expectancy beyond pension age equates to a similar increase in cost.