The Tony Blair Institute is restructuring its European operations, including its Brussels office, to focus on artificial intelligence and governing in the AI age. The firm aims to be a leading partner for governments navigating the global AI race.
Deprivation and inequality are behind the fall in healthy life expectancy, writes George Binette. Plus letters from Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Dr Louise Lawson and Chris PhillipsonHelen McCarthy writes that today’s struggle “is the right to live a good, meaningful life, and to live it right to the end” (Britain pioneered the comfortable retirement – but that golden age is coming to an end, 2 May). Ironically, her column appeared days after the Health Foundation reported a notable fall of roughly two years in healthy life expectancy across the UK in the decade between 2012-14 and 2022-24 to below 61 years for both men and women – significantly below the state pension age. Among 21 high-income countries, Britain’s ranking slumped from 14th to 20th against this measure, ahead only of the US.The reasons for this relative and absolute decline are, of course, multifaceted, but there is an undeniable link to relative deprivation. With the state pension age continuing to rise and the Tony Blair Institute effectively calling for abolishing the meagre state pension, Prof McCarthy’s assertion that “the right to retire was yesterday’s struggle,” seems dubious at best. Pensioner poverty in Britain remains widespread and far worse than in France and Italy. Continue reading...
The Tony Blair Institute has urged Labour to scrap the pensions triple lock, calling it 'unaffordable' as Britain's ageing population drives up costs. The thinktank warns state pension spending will rise from 5% to 7.8% of GDP by 2070, adding £85bn annually. It proposes a pre-election pact to end the policy and replace it with a 'lifespan fund'. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the government will not drop the triple lock despite mounting financial pressure from Middle East conflict and inflation.
The Tony Blair Institute has urged the UK government to introduce an 'emergency handbrake' to reduce the number of people receiving health and disability benefits. The think tank proposes classifying conditions like mild depression, ADHD, anxiety, and lower back pain as 'non-work limiting', making claimants ineligible for cash benefits. With 1,000 people daily becoming eligible and spending forecast to reach £78.1bn by 2029-30, the TBI argues these changes could reduce long-term dependency. The proposals have been criticized by disability charity Scope as 'deeply unhelpful and ill-informed'.
