LOL.

Beyond Curious with LCP: The Longevity Challenge In this episode, Stuart McDonald and Ben Franklin, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at International Longevity Centre, discuss ageing, its fiscal and social impact, and how policy and work reforms could...

Ageing isn’t a 2070 problem – it’s happening now.

In my latest podcast @bjafranklin.bsky.social @ilcuk.bsky.social shares how longer, healthier lives could boost the economy, reshape work & retirement, and unlock opportunities we’re missing.

🎧 www.lcp.com/en/podcasts/...

#LongevityEconomy #Ageing

Opinion | Stop Acting Like This Is Normal

Excellent column by Ezra Klein, and you should read all of it. He gets it.

Stop Acting Like This Is Normal www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...

Britain is now one of very few countries where Gen Z are firmly left-of-centre

A careful study of every populist episode since 1900 finds catastrophic consequences, which play out slowly.

On average, incomes fall behind by nearly 15% over 15 years.

For the U.S., this is a cost of about $13k per person per year. Over a lifetime, that's million bucks.

Young carer who unwittingly breached allowance rules forced to repay £2,000 Rose Jones, who cared for mother from age of eight, twice wrongly advised by work coach on joining DWP job scheme

THE GUARDIAN: Young carer faces £2,000 repayment demand after DWP's flawed advice, highlighting systemic failings in support for Britain’s carers. This story exposes the fragility of a lifeline for those most in need.

- by Patrick Butler

Spending review 2025 – how the Chancellor might signal progress - ILCUK ILC’s Deputy Chief Executive, Ben Franklin, reflects on what is needed in the Spending Review to show the Government is serious about tackling the challenges – and seizing the opportunities – of an ag...

You can read the piece for @ilcuk.bsky.social here: ilcuk.org.uk/spending-rev...

Assuming no further tax rises, the piece argues for:
🔹 Real-term restraint esp. on NHS
🔹 Prioritise prevention & community spend
🔹 Support local govt to deliver reform & social care
🔹 Rebalance welfare: active labour policy > benefit cuts
🔹 Invest in the longevity economy & foundational sectors

My piece ahead of Spending Review explores how govt can signal it's serious about reform and inclusive growth against the backdrop of an ageing and unhealthy population.

The huge fiscal pressures mean structural reform is even more important.

Longer lives can drive growth & innovation. I’m excited to help shape what happens now. Want to connect or collaborate? Let’s talk. ☕️

ILCUK works with national and local govt. and globally with orgs inc. G20, WEF & OECD to help societies adapt to demographic change. This work has never mattered more.

🚨 New role! 🚨
Excited to join @ilcuk.bsky.social as Deputy CEO — the UK’s leading voice on demographic change and its impacts for health, pensions, the future of work and more. Vital issues today. Huge opportunities.

🚨 New publication 🚨 : Happy to share that my paper, "Losing Touch: The Rhetorical Cost of Governing" is now forthcoming at @cpsjournal.bsky.social. Short 🧵 about the paper here 👇 1/10

"The UK has the worst paternity leave offer in Europe. Making Statutory Paternity Leave more generous will deliver on financial security for families and economic growth." Louise Woodruff, Senior Policy Adviser at JRF.

UK’s paternity leave entitlement is worst in Europe – just 2 weeks on low pay

A more generous offer will support families financially and help them make more equal choices around who cares

For the first time @centrepropolicy.bsky.social modelling for JRF establishes the economic benefits too 🔽 1/2

Excellent summary.

There is even more in the DWP documents, including confirmation that an expected 150,000 people will lose carer's benefits.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e3fa...

This week is my last at the Centre for Progressive Policy after 6 and a… | Ben Franklin This week is my last at the Centre for Progressive Policy after 6 and a half brilliant years. It’s been a delight to hold a variety of leadership positions…

Personal news update:

This week is my last at the @centrepropolicy.bsky.social after 6 and a half brilliant years. There have been too many highlights for my highly limited Bluesky abilities so have put out an extended post on my time and next steps here:
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

How Labour can avoid defeat in 2029 Attlee and Wilson were punished for delaying the inevitable. Starmer can avoid their fate – if he acts fast

This is a compelling analysis of why Labour will lose in 2029. Starmer, like Wilson, will continue until the contradictions in his economic policy become politically untenable, and the resulting U turn will be seen as a defeat rather than seizing new opportunities open.substack.com/pub/kellnerp...

A dangerous road? • Resolution Foundation Yesterday’s Green Paper marks a serious attempt by the Government to tackle two major concerns: the growing spend on disability benefits, and the large number of people who are not working through ill...

Essential reading from my colleagues at @resfoundation.bsky.social here on yesterday's benefit changes: www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications... Bottom line: it's hard to escape the conclusion that many of yesterday's reforms are about making cuts rather than improving the system.

Tension for the government's "good jobs everywhere" ambition clear in this paper on East Mids

83% of people work outside the 8 sectors govt is backing through industrial strategy

How do we:

a) shift some of the 83% over into the 8 sectors?

b) improve work for *everyone else*

With all the fixation on technology/AI to improve productivity, this essential point about how technology often drives increasing costs in healthcare is conveniently overlooked. Good piece about the bigger picture on healthcare demand and spending from @sallygainsbury.bsky.social

Prompted by the government's recent Plan for Neighbourhoods and @iconeighbours.bsky.social interim report, I wrote a short piece reflecting on the challenges people face in my neighbourhood and how policy can respond.

More support for people in ill health to stay in work ‘could save UK £1bn’ Commission for Healthier Working Lives warns against cutting benefits and calls for proactive route for 8m affected

Cuts to welfare won’t solve the working age health challenge.

Coverage of new @healthfoundation.bsky.social report in todays @theguardian.com

It’s not enough to reform welfare - there must be more support for people in work but in ill health

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

An alternative way forward. Well done Tom Clark for this piece. The crisis facing us is more acute and existential than financial crisis or pandemic. Austerity and destitution is not the way to respond as we rearm for the dangerous years ahead.

Breaking the cycle: Delivering good jobs for ‘doubly disadvantaged’… How to bring growth and opportunity to places stuck in a trap of ‘no jobs or bad jobs.’

And our recent report on this with @localtrust.org.uk here: www.progressive-policy.net/publications...

Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus

The full prospectus with more details on the nieghbourhood plan can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/p...

5. Obviously there are questions/challenges. Its not a lot of cash spread over 75 areas. So place will need to be targeted in how they use it, which neighbourhoods they focus on, what interventions they prioritise and how these neighbourhood interventions complement other place-based initiatives.

4. In each of these areas the plan looks a good start, echoing best practice evidence from @localtrust.org.uk @centrepropolicy.bsky.social, @demos-uk.bsky.social.

3. Neighbourhood plans shouldn't sit in isolation from other local govt. initiatives. Local growth plans and skills plans for instance, must articulate how the most isolated neighbourhoods will be reached. Our research has shown how growth doesn't trickle out to the most left behind communities.

2. Communities must be at the heart of designing these hyperlocal interventions. Arguably this is where the original New Deal fell short in being overly prescriptive and not co-creating with local people.

1. Long term funding for hyperlocal physical and social infrastructure (i.e. youth clubs and family hubs) is key to neighbourhood renewal. Our recent work showed how those places without these assets have significantly worse labour market and health outcomes than similarly deprived neighbourhoods.