Westminster is suddenly grappling with a question it has long avoided: how old is too old to work? The spark comes from across the Atlantic, where Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday last week with a characteristic flourish. Britain's political class watched, and then flinched.
Sources close to the Department for Work and Pensions confirm that internal memes have begun circulating about the implications of an ageing political elite. But the real money is on the economic calculus. Uncovered documents from the Office for Budget Responsibility show that the UK's over-80 workforce has doubled in the past decade, driven by pension shortfalls and rising life expectancy.
The TUC is briefing that this is not a celebration of longevity but a distress signal about inadequate retirement savings. Meanwhile, in the corridors of power, the average age of cabinet ministers has crept past 55, with at least three members older than 70. The Prime Minister's office declined to comment on whether age limits for public office are being considered.
But off the record, a senior civil servant told me: 'We are sleepwalking into a gerontocracy. The question is not whether Trump is a symptom, but whether we are next.' The debate is now officially live.
Expect no answers, but plenty of bluster.
