Nearly a third of people under the age of 60 could be forced to retire without being able to afford the basics, a new study has found.
Research by the Fabian Society found that people in Generation Z are particularly at risk of falling below a “minimum retirement living standard” when they stop working because of inadequate pension savings.
This standard – set annually by Pensions UK – represents public perceptions of the minimum needed for an acceptable quality of life. It currently stands at £13,900 per year for a single person and £22,500 per year for a two-person household, excluding housing costs.
This is above the full new state pension, which for the 2026-27 tax year is £241.30 a week, or £12,547 per year.
The Fabian Society – a centre-left think-tank affiliated with the Labour Party – carried out research on the future of the pensions system and what people expect to receive from it in their retirement. The research was sponsored by Age UK, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Dartmouth Street Trust, a charity.
British rapper Yung Filly to face rape retrial
British rapper Yung Filly will face a rape retrial in Australia next June after a jury failed to reach a verdict in an earlier trial.
Filly, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was charged with the alleged rape and assault of a fan after performing at a nightclub in Perth in 2024.
No decision for rape charges
In July, a jury acquitted the 31-year-old of three counts of rape, one of assault and one of strangulation but found him guilty of two assault charges.
No decision was reached for three rape charges, which Barrientos has denied.
He is understood to have returned to the UK after the court granted him permission to leave Australia as part of his bail conditions.
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Sentencing to take place after retrial
Perth’s district court has set 15 June as the start date for the retrial, which is expected to last eight days.
Sentencing for the two assault charges that the jury found Barrientos guilty of will take place after the retrial.
Barrientos is known for his work with the YouTube collective Beta Squad and has previously appeared in the celebrity version of on Channel 4.
What the court heard in first trial
Barrientos had been on tour in Australia when he was accused of sexually assaulting the woman in his hotel room after he performed in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
- The court heard that the social media star had consensual sex with the fan in his hotel room, before she alleged he turned violent and refused to stop.
- During the trial, Barrientos told the court that he had “fancied” the woman when they met at the concert venue.
- He had been in the VIP area while she leaned over the barrier from the general area.
- He said the “vibes were good” between him and the woman when they arrived at his hotel later.
Prosecution calls Filly ‘entitled’
During the first trial’s closing arguments, prosecutor Danielle Clarke said Barrientos was an “entitled” man with a “moderate degree of fame” who had violated the fan “in the most intrusive way possible”.
His defence lawyer argued that the accuser’s evidence was full of “inconsistencies, embellishments and outright lies”.
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The UK’s pharmacy blackspots
Nearly 300,000 people have seen their local pharmacy shut this year, with dozens closing in shortage areas leaving patients with 17-mile round trips to pick up vital medicines.
Two sites closed per week
Analysis of NHS figures by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) revealed that 51 high-street pharmacies in England shut between January and August this year – the equivalent of two a week.
Of the total, 31 received government funding under a scheme to maintain vital access to medicines for patients in “healthcare shortage” areas.
The South West of England has been hit hardest by closures.
- Nine pharmacies closed across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
- Three pharmacies alone closed in the Somerset town of Taunton.
- Closures are forcing patients to travel significant distances to access emergency prescriptions as well as contraception and clinical advice, particularly on a weekend, patient groups and pharmacies have warned.
- The recent closure of a Lloyds Pharmacy in Long Rock, Penzance, left patients with an up to 1 hour and 20-minute journey by public transport to access their nearest pharmacy – a 17-mile round trip.
Why are pharmacies closing?
Pharmacies have seen real-terms cuts of 40 per cent to their funding since 2016. Since then, 1,500 pharmacies have closed – meaning 9.9 million patients in England have seen their local chemist close, analysis shows.
Despite a £340m Government boost to pharmacy funding in May, NHS analysis for the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) body shows community pharmacies still face a funding gap of more than £2bn.
Just one in seven pharmacies are profitable, a separate survey by CPE of more than 2,900 pharmacies in July revealed.
Patchy medicine access
When a pharmacy closes, it can create pockets where patients will find it harder to access medicines, collect prescriptions and get advice from their local pharmacy. Closures often happen in areas where healthcare support is needed most so it intensifies health inequalities.
Dr James Davies, director of research and insights at Community Pharmacy England
Pressure on other NHS services
NPA leaders urged the Government to reform NHS’s contract with pharmacies. Around 90 per cent of a pharmacy’s work is funded through the NHS, they added.
William Pett, of Healthwatch, said longer distances were “difficult for those with limited mobility or no access to transport” and that is “is no surprise that some people end up turning to other parts of the NHS when they cannot get the help they need in their community”.
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The groundbreaking new DNA brain tumour test
A groundbreaking new DNA test will be offered to patients with brain tumours as part of a new pilot study, which NHS officials say will reduce average diagnosis rates from weeks to days.
Experts say the rapid genomic test can confirm a diagnosis within two hours – meaning medics can know the precise type of tumour even during surgery.
Huge boost to personalised care
The NHS said the test will be piloted in specialist centres around England.
Personalised care
It could help patients get personalised care sooner and help enrol them on clinical trials which they may have missed out on.
Officials said brain tumours are “notoriously difficult” to diagnose.
How does it work?
The cutting-edge technology works by quickly analysing the DNA or genetic code of a small tumour sample taken during biopsy or surgery, helping doctors identify what type of brain tumour the patient has.
There are more than 100 different types of tumours, which range from slow-growing to aggressive cancers.
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This remarkable rapid test has the potential to completely transform how we diagnose .
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England’s medical director, added that the test is a “huge leap forward” for patients.
This is a huge leap forward for patients – a faster diagnosis means they can start the right treatment or access clinical trials sooner, while for some patients it could mean surgeons can make potentially life-changing decisions about their surgery while on the operating table.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England medical director
Health Secretary hails ‘incredible breakthrough’
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper called the technology an “incredible breakthrough”.
Dr Simon Newman of The Brain Tumour Charity added that it will help patients avoid the “‘cruel, traumatic’” experience of waiting weeks to find out which type of brain tumour they have and their prognosis.
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Why experts fear loss of rare flower shows the UK’s climate future
A rare flower may have gone extinct in southern England due to extreme heat and drought, in what experts fear is a “canary in the mine” for how climate change is affecting biodiversity.
Field gentian all but wiped out
Until recently, the field gentian was abundant in the New Forest, Hampshire.
It was previously thought these populations could survive hot summers, due to their sheer size – often more than 5,000 plants at each site – and their ability for seeds to move with livestock into more sheltered areas.
But successive heatwaves and drought – in the third extreme summer in five years – may have led to their loss from southern England.
Rare flower missing for two years
The Species Recovery Trust has been unable to locate a single field gentian plant in the New Forest for the second year in a row.
Dominic Price, director of the charity, said the purple flower grew in dry or “skeletal” grasslands, which are on the “absolute front line” of climate change as they become parched and dead in hot, dry weather.
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This loss of what was such an abundant plant is deeply worrying, and in many ways, it feels like a canary in the mine for how climate change is likely to accelerate species loss.
Dominic Price, director of the Species Recovery Trust
Is it gone for ever?
- Price said “there’s potential for a miracle” with a wet summer next year helping the plant stage a comeback.
- In the summer of 2022, when UK temperatures soared to 40°C for the first time, field gentian populations crashed in the south of England, and went extinct in Devon.
- But populations recovered slightly the following year.
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The Reform MPs who face losing their seats according to new poll
Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman are among four Reform UK MPs who would lose their seats if a general election were held tomorrow, fresh polling by YouGov shows.
Falling behind the Tories
Tory defector Danny Kruger and Sarah Pochin – who beat Labour in a 2025 by-election – would also be unseated, according to the leading UK pollster’s first large-scale election modelling since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
Although the party’s numbers of MPs would hugely increase, it would have fewer seats than the Tories overall, marking a significant fall when compared to last year’s polling.
How a Labour government could be formed
The poll predicts that Labour would be the biggest party in a hung parliament.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey recently ruled out forming a coalition with Reform or the Tories but stopped short of excluding a coalition with Labour.
However, to form a Parliamentary majority in this scenario, Burnham would also need to work with the SNP or Plaid Cymru.
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Reform expanding its operations
The polling comes as Reform is preparing a huge expansion of its operations around the country, targeting London, the South East, the South West and the East of England.
- Analysis of Reform job adverts by The i Paper suggests the party is pumping resources into areas where it wants to keep its high-profile Tory defectors.
There’s turmoil in the Liberal Democrats. And MPs are struggling for direction
Stagnant in the polls but still a potential kingmaker, the party’s at a crossroads – even its own members are asking what comes next.
Record number of assaults on Britain’s trains – what to know
Assaults on Britain’s railways have hit record levels, new figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have revealed.
The numbers
The data published on Thursday showed there were 13,464 reported assaults on people who were not railway workers between April 2025 and March 2026, an increase of 36 per cent compared to the previous year.
- 11,289 assaults on rail workers on mainline networks were also recorded, an increase of 12 per cent. This included 6,390 incidents of verbal abuse, 2,487 physical assaults and 2,412 threats.
Working to make railways safer
No-one on the railway should be subjected to violence, threats or abuse. We’re working with industry and our trade union colleagues to address work-related violence and harassment, including through recent guidance which sets out what we expect from rail employers.
Richard Hines, ORR’s chief inspector railways
Walkers reveals three new crisp flavours
Three new “gold” flavours of Walkers are now available for crisp lovers. The new snacks mark the brand’s biggest revamp in 80 years.
What are the flavours and how much are they?
The new flavours are black truffle, sea salt and olive oil and Somerset mature cheddar and onion.
Each pack is branded as “Premium Potato Crisps”.
The crisps come in 140g bags and can currently be bought for £2 each.
Where you can buy them
The entire range launched on Ocado officially today, but from October 12, they will be widely available in major UK supermarkets for a cheaper price of £1.50.
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The report – exclusively shared with The i Paper – found that 31 per cent of today’s 22- to 60-year-olds could fall below a minimum retirement living standard, based on their pension savings to date.
Respondents were asked to use a pensions calculator to estimate their projected retirement income, based on their retirement plans and savings to date. Industry standard assumptions were used to calculate the income.
Gen Z – people born between 1997 and 2012 – is set to be particularly hard-pressed in retirement, with 35 per cent not reaching the minimum retirement living standard, according to the study.
The Fabian Society said the trend reflected a number of factors including barriers to accessing the labour market, slow wage growth, student debt and a shift from “defined benefit” pension schemes to less generous “defined contribution” schemes.
The study involved a representative survey by the polling company, Survation, of 4,000 UK adults, focus groups, and the think-tank’s own financial modelling.
Polling found that nearly 48 per cent of today’s under-45s think they will be worse off in retirement than current pensioners.
Should the pensions triple lock be overhauled?
When it comes to the future of the pensions system, there appears to be some appetite for changing the triple lock policy, whereby the state pension increases each year in line with the highest of earnings growth, inflation or 2.5 per cent.
The policy has ended up being much more expensive than it was expected to be when it was introduced by Conservative chancellor George Osborne in 2011, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasting that by 2030 it will cost £15.5bn a year – three times its original estimate.
According to the poll, 55 per cent think the Government should replace the triple lock with a different mechanism. However, there is a stark split in views between generations. By a majority of two to one, Gen Z and millennials want to replace the triple lock, while baby boomers and the “silent generation” (those born between 1928 and 1945) back keeping it by two to one.
On plans to increase the state pension age, which is due to rise to 67 by 2028 and to 68 by 2044-46, there was little support for accelerating the increase.
Sixty-four per cent would prefer planned state pension age increases to slow or stop entirely. Only a minority (14 per cent) think it should go up faster than currently planned.
With the Treasury likely to be considering tax changes to pensions in the run-up to next month’s Budget, there was limited appetite for reform.
Under current rules, most people can withdraw up to a quarter of their private pension tax-free, up to £268,275.
Fewer than half (44 per cent) would support reducing pension income tax relief, with just 19 per cent thinking pensions should be taxed in the same way as other forms of income.
However, there was more support for reducing tax relief on contributions for higher earners. Currently, if you pay into a pension, you get relief at whatever income tax rate you pay, meaning those who pay the higher and additional rate receive more relief.
Every pensioner should be able to afford the basics
Seventy-two per cent support reducing higher tax relief on pension contributions for higher earners.
Seven in ten said the Government should ensure every pensioner can afford the basics for an acceptable quality of life, and there was also strong support for expanding automatic pension enrolment, with 79 per cent backing this for low-income workers and 77 per cent believing it should be extended to the self-employed.
The current earnings trigger for automatic enrolment is £10,000 annually and £768 every four weeks.
The Fabian Society said its research showed there is a “narrow but credible route to consensus” on pensions reform, so long as reforms protect those who need it and build “confidence among the public in these protections”.
“People are unlikely to accept changes they believe threaten their dignity and security in retirement – whether that threat is real or perceived,” it said.
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, said “We ignore the effects of a rising state pension age. Almost two-thirds want increases to slow or stop, with those on the lowest incomes the most worried about the impact of further hikes.”
He added that the Pensions Commission – an independent body set up to review the regime for private pensions – provides “a vital opportunity for the Government to listen to workers about their concerns for the future”.