The Chancellor’s commitment to a formal consultation on reforms to the Default Retirement Age has been attacked as a back door way of raising the pensions age by Chris Walsh, director, at baby boomer recruiter Wise Owls Employment Agency.

Walsh told Recruiter: “We support the right for people who wish to work past the age of 65 to continue to do so. However, we are extremely worried that this is a back door way of raising the pension age up to 67, as appears to be the consensus.

“We think it is a waste of time and a way of saving the Exchequer money. Once you are not in employment over the age of 50 it becomes nigh on impossible to get a full-time permanent job again.”