Plans to increase the UK pension age have reportedly been put on hold as life expectancy slides, it is being reported.
The state pension age has already risen to 66, will rise again to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and was earmarked to become 68 from 2044.
Ministers feared a backlash from voters if they made a decision on pension ages — requiring people to work longer — so soon after abolishing the pensions cap — a tax break aimed at high earners — in the March budget.
They have now decided to delay the retirement age decision until after the next general election, the Financial Times and Telegraph reported.
“They were gung-ho to raise the pension age. But they got cold feet,” the papers quoted one government insider as saying.
Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister, said: “The improvement in life expectancy at retirement that was predicted at the time of the last [pension age] review, basically didn’t happen. Life expectancy at retirement now is two years shorter than it was when they did the last review.”
The state pension bill is on course to grow to about £148 billion by 2027-2028 from £110 billion in 2022-2023, the Office for Budget Responsibility says.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “The government is required by law to regularly review the state pension age and the next review will be published by May 7.”
In the first decade of the century, there were improvements for men of between 42 weeks and 53 weeks, and improvements for women of between 29 weeks and 42 weeks, when comparing life expectancy at birth in one three-year period with the previous non-overlapping three-year period, figures from the Office for National Statistics show (ONS).
Those improvements in life expectancy at birth have slowed.
Since 2010 to 2012, the improvements have generally been declining for males and females, with the exception of 2017 to 2019 when improvements increased slightly.
Life expectancy in the UK has also slipped down the global rankings.
The UK came in at 29th in 2021, according to the new analysis, which was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
It found that, over seven decades, the UK has done worse than all G7 countries except the US.
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
