The “unaffordable” state pension should be scrapped along with the triple lock and replaced by a new fund which pays out early if people need it for ill health, unemployment or caring reasons, Sir Tony Blair’s think-tank says today.
A report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) says the current state pension is “outdated, increasingly unaffordable and too rigid for the way people live and work” and that the UK’s ageing population means reform is unavoidable.
Due to the triple lock, funding of the state pension – which sees it increase by the higher of inflation, wages or 2.5 per cent each year – is one of the biggest areas of government expenditure, costing around £146bn a year, equivalent to 5 per cent of GDP.
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Can you learn to love pigeons? A much-unloved animal in the UK
Features writer Kasia Delgado went on a safari to see if she
could look past their rat-like nature
The tour guide
People think pigeons are stupid but lots of studies have shown them to have amazing memories, that they can identify people by their facial features, and they have an extraordinary sense of direction.
Florence Wilkinson, author of Wild City: Encounters with Urban Wildlife, took Kasia on a tour.
Positives of pigeons
War heroes
During the Second World War, carrier pigeons were routinely used to send messages, and they saved thousands of lives.
Homing ability
Scientists have put them in blacked-out vans and put miniature goggles on them to blur their vision and still the pigeons manage to return home.
The Dove family
We think of them as all grey, but they vary in shades, and some of them are quite amazingly coloured, says Florence.
Kasia’s feeding test
As I gingerly chuck some seed, wincing slightly, 15 or so flap their wings at me. I wouldn’t say I feel content or relaxed but I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would.
I can see they’re not going to do me harm and after all, they’re just enjoying some free food.
A common myth?
Disease carriers
Research has found that between 1941 and 2004, there were only 207 reports worldwide of pathogens transmitted from pigeons to humans.
Not all walks are
created equal
Read on to find out how to supercharge yours into an unbeatable health-builder
How to supercharge your walk
Get a bit breathless
All walking paces are linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease but there are additional gains made by those who walk at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity.
Walk uphill
Try to find varying inclines to increase energy and muscle burn.
Add weights
The extra resistance challenges your heart to work harder, increasing cardiovascular fitness.
How to supercharge your walk
Uneven ground
Mountainous and uneven terrain work your stabilising muscles harder, increasing the difficulty and output from your walk.
Go Nordic
Using poles engages the arms as well as the legs and core, turning walking into a full-body workout.
A walk is beneficial at any time of day, but after eating could be best. Research has found that 10- to 30-minute walks taken 10 to 30 minutes after a meal can reduce the peak blood-sugar measurements reached.
Slower and lower blood sugar throughout the day reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
How to supercharge your walk
Go green
Walking in nature has more psychological benefits than concrete. It’s shown to significantly reduce anxiety and depression.
Improve your posture
Staying tall through the spine, open your chest and keep your eyes forward (not leaning over on your phone..).
Meet outside
Walking is a good time to have conversations, whether with your boss or a friend.
Mistakes to avoid
1Focusing on step count – most research suggests that benefits plateau at 7,000 steps a day.
2Using ankle weights – they can tug at the hip flexors and the knees.
3 Doing one-and-done – just hiking for three hours on the weekend, and nothing throughout the week, means you’re missing out on benefits.
4Thinking it’s not a workout – walking packs in cardio and brain-boosting effects without the recovery time of intense exercise.
Eight million people in the UK are living with heart or circulatory disease
And while chest pain is a well-known symptom, there are more subtle signs you should be aware of too.
Overlooked signs of heart disease
Dizziness and fainting
An abnormal heart rhythm can cause a dizzy feeling. While much dizziness is not serious, it can be associated with life-threatening complications.
Increased breathlessness
This breathlessness could be due to blockages and reduced blood flow in the arteries.
Swollen ankles
Unusual swelling can indicate a problem with the body’s circulatory system and kidneys.
Worsening fatigue
Ongoing and worsening fatigue can indicate an underlying health issue, and it could be a sign that your heart isn’t working as effectively as it should be. If persistent fatigue is impacting you day-to-day, the best thing to do is speak with your doctor.
Ruth Goss, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation
Overlooked signs of heart disease
Indigestion-type symptoms
Discomfort in the stomach, chest and ribs, or a burning sensation in the chest area, could all be symptoms of heart disease.
Erectile dysfunction
If it’s an ongoing issue, there could be an underlying health problem, including atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), diabetes or high blood pressure.
Emotional detachment is a key life skill
Read on to find out how to embrace it, from GP Dr Radha
Healthy detachment
[Detachment] is not selfish – we can still care and empathise. We don’t avoid, we just balance and respond rather than react because we are not too invested in the outcome. This is very different from emotional numbing, which often happens after trauma.
dr Radha Modgil
When we need detachment
Toxic friendships
When you feel that an interaction brings out the worst in you, or that you are having to watch everything you say or do.
Dysfunctional families
Healthy detachment is helpful when we become overly invested in trying to control or fix someone.
Work issues
It’s helpful in situations you are not in control of and helps you leave work behind at 5pm.
How to start it
Examine your beliefs
You may have been conditioned to think that it is your responsibility to fix everything. Is this a fact or based on old patterns?
Look at the impact
Consider what negative impact your “fixing” has; it can keep situations stuck, or infantilise others from growing up.
Which problems are in your control?
Understanding what problems are ours to hold and which aren’t can help avoid emotional burnout.
How to maintain it
Firm boundaries
This means understanding your sense of self, what is yours and what is not and sticking to it.
Self-care
Recognise and look after your own energy levels, mental health and your need to live your own life.
Be objective
Try to have a factual, calm, rational attitude in moments of conflict. This includes trying to release the need to control.
I spent a week in the world’s happiest country
Here are the five ways I
brought Finnish culture back to the UK.
Sauna, sauna, sauna
A regular Finnish sauna boasts a wealth of health benefits: improved cardiovascular health, reduced blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia.
In Finnish culture, the sauna is available for everyone: it’s the great equaliser and forms a gently ritualistic part of the day.
Immerse yourself in nature
It is enshrined in Finnish law that anyone living in or visiting Finland has the freedom to roam the countryside, forage, fish, ski, or camp temporarily.
70 per cent of Finland is forest and they have an estimated 180,000 lakes, of which Lake Saimaa (the one I visited) is the largest.
It plays into the Finns’ love of solitude: having space to think. I have found myself not only treasuring the greenery I can find in London.
Eastl local and drink coffee
Finnish diet
Diets are rich in oily fish and local produce: whole grains, Arctic berries, dairy, wild mushrooms, and game like reindeer.
Coffee
The Finns are the number one coffee drinkers in the world. This is both a social ritual and a historic legacy.
I’m cherishing my coffee breaks that bit more, as well as enjoying smoked fish and pickles for lunch
Have fun
Play is embedded from early childhood, as it is seen as a fundamental pillar of development. For every 45-minute lesson, children enjoy unstructured play for 15 mins.
While adults don’t get the same level of structured play, hobbies and a clear demarcation between work and life ensure adults retain a sense of leisure. Every year in July, businesses slow down.
Do not take the good for granted
Finns actively remember not only their suffering through the war, but the fact that the peace they enjoy requires constant maintenance.
Greenwich Park (Photo: AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
Since my visit, I am actively appreciating things like London’s public transport system, or the number of parks my dog can run in. We are fools if we take it for granted.
Inflammation can be harmful.
But it is possible to lower it through lifestyle changes.
We asked the experts the habits you can instill to reduce levels.
Dietary changes
Fruit and veg
Research suggests high intakes of fruit and vegetables are linked with lower inflammatory markers, says dietitican Sammie Gill.
Healthy fats
Omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil are all beneficial in fighting inflammation.
Established diets
Certain patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, can help control long-term inflammation.
What to use and what to avoid
Use turmeric and black pepper
Herbs and spices are an easy way of adding anti-inflammatory plant compounds to your diet.
Drink green tea
Keeping hydrated by drinking enough water helps your body function, and herbal teas can have added benefits.
Eat blueberries
Women eating a handful of blueberries a day can help lower their high blood pressure.
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Regularly, not randomly
“The key is consistency, even light, regular activity is better than long, intense workouts once in a while,” says Dr Maz Mwambazi, a GP.
Yoga
Building muscle through weight lifting can help, as can mind-body practices like yoga, which combine physical postures, breathing, and meditation.
Prioritise fun
Chronic stress can contribute to inflammation, says Dr Rangan Chatterjee – so partake in activities which help you manage or reduce your stress levels.
Finding a hobby you enjoy, spending time in nature and spending time connecting with friends and family have all been shown to reduce stress.
The TBI report says this outlay will rise to 7.8 per cent of GDP by 2070, or an extra £85bn a year in today’s terms, because the number of pensioners is expected to rise from 12.6m now to nearly 19m in 45 years – meaning higher taxes and greater pressure on public services.
‘Scrap triple lock in 2030’
Replacing the state pension would be the biggest overhaul in government support for retirement since its launch in 1948.
The reforms proposed by the former Labour prime minister’s think-tank would keep state pension spending at around 5.5 per cent of GDP and save the government £66bn in additional costs by 2070.
The TBI says as a first step towards reform, the triple lock should be scrapped in 2030 and state pension increases linked only to rises in earnings.
All the main UK political parties except the Greens have pledged to keep the triple lock for at least the rest of this Parliament and scrapping it is seen as a vote-loser.
The intervention by the TBI will put the spotlight back on the debate over its long-term future, however, particularly among some in government.
The TBI did not deny that the measures had been discussed with officials or ministers in government, but said the report was independent and intended to contribute to the public and political debate.
The Department for Work and Pensions said the triple lock was guaranteed for the rest of this Parliament and did not endorse the TBI plans.
‘Lifespan Fund’ would replace pension
Under the proposals, the state pension would then be replaced by a new “Lifespan Fund”, which would be accessible if people needed it earlier for ill health, retraining, career changes or caring roles, rather than only at retirement.
People would build up their entitlement to the Lifespan Fund through contributions throughout their lives, including through work, caring, study or other recognised activity.
Each year of contribution would provide up to 20 years of state-backed support at the level of today’s state pension.
If someone became unemployed and wanted extra funding beyond benefits, or needed money to retrain or support caring responsibilities, they could draw on their Lifespan Fund early.
There would be safeguards for those who wanted to access their fund early, including minimum balances which would rise with age.
However, people would be penalised for withdrawing money early as they would then be automatically enrolled into higher National Insurance contributions when they returned to work.
And the plans would also be controversial because the annual amount paid into their Lifespan Fund would be adjusted to reflect their age and health, linked to their medical records. It would pay less due to people’s current health such as pre-existing medical conditions, BMI and “lifestyle choices” such as smoking.
The TBI says this would be a fairer system because the current state pension age penalises those in poorer health, who are often those on lower incomes and with shorter life expectancy.
Plans are ‘fiendishly complex’
But pensions expert Steve Webb warned linking state pension support to someone’s health and lifestyles was “deeply troubling” and that life expectancy did not always reflect a person’s medical history.
Report author Tom Smith, director of economic policy at the TBI, said: “Britain’s state pension system was built for a different era. We can’t keep pouring money into a system that is increasingly unaffordable.
“Pension spending must be contained, and that means the triple lock cannot continue after the next election.
“Ending it will require political leadership from all parties – but that should only be the first step. Real reform must also build a better system: one that is fairer, more flexible, and designed for how people live today.”
Webb, a former pensions minister and partner at pension consultants LCP, said: “The idea of linking state pension payments to individual health records and individual life expectancy is deeply troubling.
“Leaving aside issues of confidentiality and data quality, it is very hard to make a precise leap from health records to life expectancy.
“The report says that they would not want to pay higher pensions to those who had poorer health because of lifestyle choices such as smoking, but it is very hard to see how they would exclude the impact of smoking on someone’s overall health.”
He said the current state pension system was relatively simple and warned it would be a “huge backward step to replace it with something fiendishly complex and highly intrusive, and which would take many decades to implement in full”.
‘People have no idea how long they’ll live’
Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, said: “Being able to access your state pension earlier at a reduced rate could benefit some, particularly those with lower life expectancy.
“But most people simply have no idea how long they might live for and if large numbers of people go down that road, it could exacerbate retirement income challenges later in life.
“Moreover, moving from a single-tier benefit to a flexible benefit would create fiendish complexity, both for people engaging with the new system and in transitioning from the current framework.
“The report is absolutely right that the triple lock will need to be scrapped at some point, but it also opens up a debate on whether the state pension itself should be a stable foundation or a more flexible income people can tailor to their needs.”
Jonathan Cribb, deputy director and head of retirement, savings and ageing at the IFS, said: “Any increase in flexibility here needs to be balanced against the increasing complexity of the system – and indeed this move would be in the opposite direction to reforms that have simplified the state pension system in recent decades.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “Supporting pensioners is a priority and our commitment to the triple lock for the rest of this Parliament means millions of pensioners will see their yearly state pension rise by up to £2,100.
“The Pensions Commission is already examining how we can ensure secure retirements for tomorrow’s pensioners and for those that have not reached state pension age but need extra support, a range of options such as universal credit and other means-tested and disability-related benefits are available.”