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Latest news and analysis
Conservatives pledge to repeal mandation clause from Pension Schemes Bill
The Conservative Party has described mandation as “indefensible” and argued that the power to direct investments made by defined contribution master trusts “puts people’s future retirement incomes at risk”.
Standard Life buys Aegon in £2bn deal to create retirement savings giant
The combined group will be responsible for approximately £480bn of assets under administration with around 16 million customers, Standard Life announced.
Utmost completes first buyout with food supply company
The development means 455 people are now covered by individual annuity policies, after Utmost insured the Noble Foods Limited Pension Scheme last year.
LGPS funds and Railpen to vote against BP chair at oil giant’s AGM
Railpen and the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum have signalled their intention to vote against the reappointment of Albert Manifold at BP’s annual general meeting on 23 April.
Bulk annuities latest: Services company targets buyout ofter scheme closure
The latest headlines from the bulk annuities sector, including a £1m micro-scheme buy-in for Legal & General and a listed services company’s plan to insure two DB schemes.
DB schemes end Q1 with stronger funding ratio despite asset volatility
The conflict in Iran has not hurt the overall funding levels of DB schemes so far this year, although aggregate assets have fallen slightly since the end of 2025.
Latest video
Video: Shadow pensions minister Helen Whately on mandation
Ahead of a vote in the House of Lords on the Pension Schemes Bill, Conservative MP Helen Whately spoke on her party’s opposition to the mandation power for a special episode of the Always a Pensions Angle podcast.
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Comment
Railpen: Systems stewardship – moving from debate to action
Railpen’s Caroline Escott explains how the multi-employer rail industry pension scheme approaches stewardship through collaboration on a range of governance and sustainability themes.
What a revised mandation power could mean for DC trustees
With the Pension Schemes Bill returning to the House of Commons this week, Wedlake Bell partner Paul Ashcroft explores the potential impact of a revised mandation clause.
ABI: A more productive conversation about investment and DB endgames
Rob Yuille of the Association of British Insurers says it is time we defined our terms around productive investment to make sure policies work for all stakeholders.
‘Don’t call us lay trustees’: AMNT on why member reps must be taken seriously
Kate Upcraft of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees recounts her experience as an elected scheme representative and why the role is so important for pension funds of all kinds.
Latest features
Call for action on member representation as MNT numbers fall by a third
Sole trustee arrangements are on the rise as member-nominated trustees are declining, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Special report: The Pension Schemes Bill in the House of Lords
The landmark legislation begins its report stage this week, with peers still debating more than 180 amendments to the Pension Schemes Bill. Pensions Expert explores what is up for discussion over the next two weeks.
Why Nest is embracing deliberative democracy
The UK’s largest master trust is exploring innovative ways in which to achieve better member representation within its governance structure.
To insource or to outsource? That is the question
Three of the UK’s largest pension investors take different approaches to the balance of insourcing and outsourcing investment expertise and capabilities, as Louise Farrand reports.
What does Alphabet’s 100-year bond mean for UK pension schemes?
The entry of Google’s owner into the UK bond market made an undeniable splash, but the impacts on key fixed income investors such as DB pension schemes are more likely to be gentle ripples, writes Bradley Gerrard.
Call for action on member representation as MNT numbers fall by a third
Special report: The Pension Schemes Bill in the House of Lords
Why Nest is embracing deliberative democracy
To insource or to outsource? That is the question
What does Alphabet’s 100-year bond mean for UK pension schemes?
Latest on Defined Benefit
Utmost completes first buyout with food supply company
The development means 455 people are now covered by individual annuity policies, after Utmost insured the Noble Foods Limited Pension Scheme last year.
Bulk annuities latest: Services company targets buyout ofter scheme closure
The latest headlines from the bulk annuities sector, including a £1m micro-scheme buy-in for Legal & General and a listed services company’s plan to insure two DB schemes.
DB schemes end Q1 with stronger funding ratio despite asset volatility
The conflict in Iran has not hurt the overall funding levels of DB schemes so far this year, although aggregate assets have fallen slightly since the end of 2025.
Low dependency overtakes buyout as DB schemes rethink endgame
Improving funding levels are giving defined benefit schemes more endgame options, but many have yet to put clear governance frameworks in place for surplus and long-term decision-making.
People news
Appointments: People’s, Isio, WTW, Hymans, Arc, IGG
The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 3 April 2026.
Smart Pension names Lawrence as chief investment officer
James Lawrence was previously Smart’s director of investment proposition, and has worked for the pension fund since 2021. The master trust aims to hit £10bn in assets this year.
Appointments: LCP, TPT, Aptia, Hymans Robertson, L&G
The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 27 March 2026.
Appointments: LPFA, PIC, Broadstone, Eversheds, Aptia
The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 20 March 2026.
Latest videos from Pensions Expert
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Latest on Defined Contribution
Conservatives pledge to repeal mandation clause from Pension Schemes Bill
The Conservative Party has described mandation as “indefensible” and argued that the power to direct investments made by defined contribution master trusts “puts people’s future retirement incomes at risk”.
Standard Life buys Aegon in £2bn deal to create retirement savings giant
The combined group will be responsible for approximately £480bn of assets under administration with around 16 million customers, Standard Life announced.
Nest awards £450m direct lending mandate amid private markets push
The mandate will see Nest deploy capital over “multiple years”, as it aims to allocate as much as 30% of its assets to private markets by 2030.
Conservatives slam ‘indefensible’ reserve clause as it returns to Pension Schemes Bill
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately has hit out at the restored amendment, arguing that it is “still a political hand reaching into people’s retirement savings”.
Latest on Dashboards
Employers ‘must address pension inadequacy’ to avoid long-term problems
The consultancy warns that retirement income shortfalls could hit companies hard by creating a demographic bottleneck in the workforce and driving stress-related drops in productivity.
Your dashboard needs you! MoneyHelper seeks consumer testers
Phase two of the testing process officially began this week, and MaPS has called on pension providers to spread the word among savers and scheme members to get them involved with the trials.
‘Dashboard health check’ urged as workers unsure of contributions
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) should introduce “pensions dashboard health checks” to help savers understand their financial positions, according to a new report from the Social Market Foundation.
Pension schemes seek to address data ‘debt’ issues with digital tools
Nearly 30 UK pension schemes have significantly improved the accuracy of their member data after adopting digital data enrichment technology over the past year, according to Heka Global.
