We keep being told that we will have to work longer. The state pension age is rising, retirement is becoming less affordable and policymakers increasingly talk as though employment into our late sixties, perhaps beyond, is simply the new normal.
There is just one problem: employers do not really want us. Lose your job at 58 and you could still be nine years away from state pension age. That is not a short glide into retirement. It is almost another decade in which you may need – and want – meaningful, reasonably paid work.
Yet, new research from Fidelity International has ranked the UK last among the G7 countries for how well it supports workers aged 55 and over to remain in employment. Its Longer Working Lives Index gave Britain just 29 points out of 100, compared with 58 for Italy and 56 for the US.
Royal claims you haven’t heard as Earl Spencer’s book published
With Earl Spencer’s controversial book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister now released, The i Paper has taken a closer look at some of the claims.
Here are five of the most eye-catching.
Charles acted like ‘child’
Then-prince Charles acted like a “petulant” child, according to Spencer. Charles is said to have told the author that he was “lucky” to be inheriting the Althorp Estate while still in his twenties.
- According to Spencer, Charles told him: “You’re just so lucky – you know, inheriting when you’re so young. I mean, I’m 43… and I employ 50 people … but my parents insist on treating me like – like a child!”
A closer look at the claims
Spencer claims, via a courtier, that the late Queen Elizabeth II said Charles was “resentful”. “He always resents things. He even resented it when I taught him the alphabet.”
He also wrote about Elizabeth’s apparent response to the news Diana was involved in an accident. “When the Queen had heard the first news of Diana’s being in a traffic accident, she had asked tetchily, ‘What is she up to now?’” he wrote. “This, before the seriousness of it all became clear.”
Diana suspected Charles had ‘tryst’ with Camilla on train
Diana suspected that Charles may have had a “tryst” with Camilla, according to the book. The suspicion followed a press report in 1980 which claimed Charles was seen with a blonde woman on the royal train.
However, Spencer wrote that this was not Diana and that she suspected that it was Camilla on the train.
Law firm offered to help him sue over Diana crash
Earl Spencer claims that a law firm offered to help him, William and Harry sue over the crash that killed Diana in France.
He said that he did not reply to the letter.
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Morgan threatens to sue
Piers Morgan has threatened to sue Earl Spencer after claiming that there are “fabricated inaccuracies” in the book.
- The Earl claimed that Morgan “snarled with annoyance” after he was uninvited from Diana’s funeral.
The reaction
- Earl Spencer, responding to the Palace’s pushback over Charles’s alleged words, told the BBC: “Those are exactly the words he said.”
- He has also denied being vengeful. “I don’t hold resentments,” he told .
- Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the latest revelations and referred back to Wednesday’s initial statement.
- Earl Spencer was approached for further comment.
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Children as young as 13 diagnosed with ‘ketamine bladder’
Children as young as 13 have been referred to a specialist clinic with ketamine-induced uropathy (KIU), according to new analysis.
What is ‘ketamine bladder’?
KIU – also known as ketamine bladder – is a painful and severe condition caused by the drug damaging the urinary tubes, kidneys and bladder.
- Frequent urination, blood in urine and a loss of bladder control are some of the symptoms.
- The UK’s first KIU clinic opened in May 2025 due to a rise in young people with the condition.
Which children are most affected?
- The average age of the first 60 patients was 14.
- Around 66 per cent of the patients were girls, with a similar proportion living in the most deprived areas.
- 72 per cent had experienced emotional trauma, with one in five having experienced the care system.
- 16 of the children had autism or ADHD, or both.
The underlying factors
We are trying to understand the wider picture. use does not happen in isolation, and our analysis is helping us explore the different factors that may be associated with young people developing serious health problems
Professor Rachel Isba, consultant in paediatric public health medicine at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
How one test could ‘transform’ womb cancer care
A simple test analysing cells in urine and vaginal fluid could help rule out womb cancer in women experiencing bleeding after menopause.
Women could avoid invasive tests
The new test has the potential to “transform care” researchers said, sparing patients from “invasive, uncomfortable” tests that are costly for the NHS.
Around 10,200 women are diagnosed with womb cancer in the UK each year. Bleeding after menopause is a common symptom and can trigger urgent cancer referral.
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A closer look at the study
- The research included 1,864 women attending hospital with postmenopausal bleeding.
- The test correctly identified 80 per cent of cancers.
- It had a negative predictive value of 98.8 per cent for womb cancer, meaning women with a negative result were very unlikely to have the disease.
- It also detected 95.8 per cent of high-grade tumours and 96.4 per cent of cancers that had spread beyond the uterus.
Support for Reform falls to lowest level since 2024 election
New polling by YouGov has seen Reform UK record its worst result from the pollster in more than two years.
Tied with the Tories
YouGov’s weekly voting intention tracker shows Reform tied with the Conservatives on 21 per cent – the first time this has happened since March 2025.
Meanwhile, Labour continue to sustain a post-Starmer bounce, two points above their rivals on 23 per cent.
What about other parties?
The Green Party sits at 14 per cent, with Restore Britain at 4 per cent, the SNP at 3 per cent and Plaid Cymru at 1 per cent. Despite the poll being carried out during the Liberal Democrat’s annual conference, their support fell by one percentage point to 12 per cent.
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more politics from the i paper
A crisis-hit Reform UK council is facing a rise in council tax and crippling cuts to services due to an £83m black hole in its finances, The i Paper can reveal.
Why Piers Morgan has vowed to sue over Diana book
Piers Morgan has threatened to sue Earl Spencer after claiming that there are “fabricated inaccuracies” in his controversial new book.
The claims made by Spencer
In Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer says he was “flabbergasted” that newspaper editors had been invited to Princess Diana’s funeral, adding that they could not attend because “they killed her” in his view.
- Earl Spencer says he personally called tabloid editors to tell them that they were uninvited from the funeral.
What else did he say?
Earl Spencer said of the newspaper editors he rang, “the only one who sounded surly, as opposed to merely confused or embarrassed, was Piers Morgan of , who snarled with annoyance before he hung up”.
He then claimed he assumed Morgan must be feeling “guilt” over publishing photographs of Diana wearing a leotard in a gym four years before.
Morgan’s response
- Morgan described the claims as “all bulls**t,” adding that the pictures of Diana were published in November 1993, but he started working at in 1995.
- He said Earl Spencer would hear “from my lawyers” and asked him to remove “the complete lie” from his book.
- He also speculated whether anything else in his book should be believed, as he got “such basic facts” so “incredibly defamatorially wrong.”
Earl Spencer apologises for ‘error’
A spokesperson for Earl Spencer said: “Earl Spencer’s account of his conversation with Piers Morgan is accurate…Mr Morgan was surly and annoyed when Earl Spencer called personally to tell him that he was not welcome at his sister’s funeral.”
“Mr Morgan has pointed out that he did not join the until October 1995,” the statement adds. “He wishes to clarify that his assumption was incorrect. Earl Spencer apologises to Mr Morgan for this error.”
The 90s video games that could fetch you up to £16,000
Some old video games could fetch staggering sums of money, new research by UK Debt Expert has found. It comes as physical copies are set to become ever rarer, with Sony to halt disc production for PlayStation games in 2028.
The top 3 most expensive
- 1 sealed 1st print Sandshrew US version 1998 WATA 9.4 was sold for £16,086.70 on eBay.
- 2, Nintendo Game Boy Original sealed was sold for £5,085.70 on eBay.
- 3Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, Nintendo 64, graded 9.0A, sealed was sold for £4,586.70 on eBay.
Other games on the list
- Sega Genesis, sealed sold for £4,500.
- Nintendo Gameboy Advance, graded 9.0A+, sealed sold for £3,999.95.
- Nintendo 64, graded 9.2A++, sealed was sold for £3,000.
- , PlayStation 1, graded 8.0 CIB Excellent sold for £3,000.
- Sega Genisis, graded 9.6A+, sealed sold for £2,045.68.
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The expert view
As gaming continues to move towards digital, it’s worth taking a second look at old games and consoles as well as collectibles […] It’s worth getting these valuable items professionally assessed or graded […] to help understand if you’re holding onto something of value.
uk debt expert spokesperson
How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
Sales of battery
electric vehicles hit a record high last year.
Starts at £22,995 for the smaller battery
Available with either a 40kWh battery or a larger 52kWh pack, that offers almost 255 miles, the latest, retro-inspired Renault 5 is both a joy to behold and a hoot to drive.
The interior has been lavished with a level of detail that’s typically reserved for more expensive cars.
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A champion of EV efficiency
It offers a remarkable 491 mile range on a single charge from the 85kWh battery.
It is a technological masterclass inside with the ability to option screens that span the entire width of the dashboard, including an optional display for the front passenger.
Priced from £37,400
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It’s a lot of money to part with, but this is arguably all the car you will ever need.
The £89,000 Macan is a premium SUV that somehow manages to blend Porsche’s reputation for dynamics and sporty driving with everyday practicality.
The 95kWh batteries can go from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes from the fastest public charging outlets.
With the business class-style six seat configuration costing a staggering £76,995, it is by far the most expensive Kia ever made, but it backs up its financial demands with a suite of genuinely useful and impressive onboard technology.
It’s fast, goes a long way between stops and charges relatively quickly but the interior is bland, the onboard technology is infuriating and the experience is devoid of emotion.
All of its gadgetry can’t disguise the fact that performance is weak, even for a typically zippy EV, the ride is fussy at slower speeds and it’s not in the least bit enjoyable to drive on a country road.
- While good value (prices start at £17,935) for the 200-mile max range, there are more interesting options from Hyundai, Citroen and Renault for similar money.
- It attempts to wow with tech, much of which hinders, rather than helps.
- There’s no tangible benefit over mounting your phone to the dash.
- Simply an average driving experience, adequate range and slow charging speeds.
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Britain does not just have a retirement problem. It has a late-career problem: too young to retire, but increasingly treated as too old to hire.
The Centre for Ageing Better has even coined a new category for this neglected territory: Neter – not in employment, training, education or retirement. Some 2.9 million people aged 50 to state pension age fall into this group, with 925,000 interested in or actively seeking work.
I have worked in career development for decades. During the 2008 financial crisis, I wrote a book called How to Get a Job in a Recession. It was a difficult labour market, but there was still a reasonable assumption behind much of the advice we gave people: improve your CV, network effectively, prepare better for interviews, keep your skills up to date. Do those things well and you could improve your chances.
The traditional advice for jobseekers is outdated
I am no longer convinced that is enough. Over the past year I have watched experienced directors, marketers, engineers, HR professionals and project managers announce on LinkedIn that they are looking for work. Many have decades of experience and strong professional networks. Some have been searching for months. They are doing the things we have always told people to do. And still they cannot find meaningful work.
This summer, Stacey Duguid, a former fashion editor, went viral after speaking about the “silent shame” of being “unemployable” in mid-life. The 52-year-old was inundated with messages from others her age who were being turned down for hundreds of job applications, and has launched a campagin for change.
Rachel, 55, an experienced communications professional, has noticed the change since returning to the job market. After applying for around half a dozen roles without an interview, she was taken aback. “I always would get called for an interview,” she told me. Seeing organisations such as , the Environment Agency and Ecotricity on her CV had previously almost guaranteed one.
“It’s knocked my confidence. It’s made me worry that I’m too old,” she says. With another 13 years before state pension age, she finds herself asking: “What the hell am I going to do?”
The experience is already changing how she thinks about her future. Rather than assuming she will continue along the professional path she has followed for decades, she has begun exploring other possibilities based around personal interests. It is not a reinvention she had expected to be contemplating at this stage of her working life.
Career planning matters. But it cannot make an ageist employer hire you. You can maintain your skills, contacts and employability and still find that someone has already decided what a 61-year-old represents: too expensive, too set in their ways, too close to retirement.
Employers believe myths about older workers
Ageism in recruitment is rarely explicit. It is more likely to surface through assumptions about “fit”: that someone with 30 years’ experience will not want to report to a younger manager, will struggle with new technology or will leave soon anyway. Sometimes the discomfort may work the other way too, with a younger manager uneasy about managing someone the age of a parent.
Lucy Fowler, director and co-founder of RecruitAbility, has spent 30 years in recruitment. She says one of the biggest barriers facing candidates over 50 is “the assumptions made before anyone has actually spoken to them”.
“They can be labelled ‘overqualified’, assumed to want too much money, be less adaptable or unlikely to stay,” she says. But not everyone over 50 is looking for the next step up. Some actively want less responsibility or a better work-life balance, and employers can find themselves gaining someone with far more experience than they might normally attract at that level. “Rather than seeing ‘overqualified’ as a risk, sometimes it should be seen as an opportunity,” Fowler says.
A useful question for recruiters is brutally simple: would I be making the same assumption about this candidate if they were 38 or 42?
The financial consequences of being pushed out early are considerable. Losing work at 58 does not simply mean losing a monthly salary. Pension contributions stop. Savings intended for retirement may have to be used years earlier than planned. Mortgage payments, council tax and energy bills do not disappear because the labour market has decided you are approaching retirement.
What you, your manager and colleagues can do to help
If we genuinely expect people to work longer, employers have to start treating later working life as a real phase of a career, not merely the waiting room for retirement. That also means continuing to invest in experienced employees.
Fidelity found that only 43 per cent of workers aged 55 to 64 had participated in job-related training, compared with 57 per cent of those aged 25 to 54. There is a dangerous circularity here. Employers invest less because somebody is assumed to be nearing retirement. Their skills become less current, and that can later be used as evidence that they are less employable.
But responsibility does not rest entirely with employers. Career development should not stop once we become established. We need to keep an eye on how our occupations and industries are changing, notice which skills are becoming more valuable and which are becoming less so, maintain relationships beyond our immediate employer and continue learning before we are forced to. Older workers can also ask for development rather than quietly assuming opportunities are intended for younger colleagues.
Why should the only choices be carrying on in exactly the same role until retirement or leaving altogether? There could be more lateral moves, project work, shorter weeks, mentoring, retraining and phased transitions.
Managers and colleagues have a role as well. Ageism can slip into apparently harmless remarks: “When are you going to retire?” or “You probably wouldn’t want to learn that new system.” Repeated often enough, they send a message: you belong to the past.
But colleagues can do more than watch their language. Visibility matters before someone is at risk, not after: naming a more experienced colleague for a project or putting their name forward for a senior opportunity. Colleagues are often better placed to do this than a manager quietly weighing up headcount.
And when an older colleague is made redundant, we should stop assuming retirement is their obvious next step. Someone of 59 may want another senior role, someone else three days a week, another something entirely different. Age tells us remarkably little about ambition, financial need or appetite for work.
There are other things individuals can do, although these are protections, not cures. One is financial resilience, thought about long before we need it. A promotion can lead almost imperceptibly to a more expensive lifestyle: the better car, bigger holidays, higher monthly commitments. There is nothing wrong with enjoying what we earn. But the more of a salary that becomes committed expenditure, the harder an unexpected job loss becomes to absorb, and the less room there is to search properly, retrain or take a lower-paid role without destabilising your life.
And perhaps we also need to build identities that are not carried entirely by work. In a recent LinkedIn discussion about unemployment, one user described how the refrain “I can’t find work” can gradually become “I don’t know who I am anymore”. Others talked about the shock of discovering that a working life they had assumed would continue had simply ended.
Work carries far more than income. It can give us structure, status, belonging, social contact and a sense of usefulness. When it disappears unexpectedly, the loss can therefore be far greater than a salary.
This is becoming more complicated as artificial intelligence reshapes many professional roles. Telling a 60-year-old simply to “retrain” means little if the occupation they retrain for is itself becoming insecure. The bigger flaw in the “longer working lives” narrative is that it assumes the opportunities will be there. They may not be.
Government policy matters, and we need serious action on age discrimination, training and employment support. Individuals can stay alert, adaptable, connected and financially resilient, and colleagues can choose to sponsor rather than sideline. None of that is wasted effort. But it is not a substitute for employers questioning the assumptions they make about people in their fifties and sixties, because no amount of individual resilience fixes a labour market that has already decided who counts as finished.
A longer working life is meaningless without a labour market capable of accommodating one. If we expect people to work until at least 67, the very least we can do is stop treating them as finished at 55.
Dr Denise Taylor is a chartered psychologist and author who writes about later life, work and meaning beyond full-time employment. Her latest book, ‘ThriveSpan: Walking Gently Into What Matters Now‘, is out now