By 2028, British people won’t be able to claim their state pension until they’re 67.

According to a new study, however, there is a potential problem: although we are living longer, we may not be healthy enough to work for longer. Researchers at Keele University and Newcastle University used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to calculate how long the typical 50-year-old in England can expect to remain healthy and in work. They found that the “healthy working life expectancy” of this age group is about nine years – which means many people may not be healthy enough to work to the current pension age, let alone future ones. Predictably, healthy working life expectancy was higher for people in non-manual jobs than in manual ones. It also increased alongside education level. “Our results suggest that many people will find it challenging to work for longer,” said lead author Marty Parker. (The Week, 11 July 2020 and The Guardian)

My comment:  Connect the dots.  The government has spent years privatizing and reorganising the National Health Service, until now it is barely able to cope with Covid 19.  The NHS used to be the crown jewel of the British government. A successful project run by government is, however, considered unacceptable by hard-line Tories, who require everything to make a profit and be run by political friends.  Sound familiar?  As the Johnson government is just finding out, the idea of “making Britain great again” is a pipe-dream.