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Episode details

Radio 4,04 Dec 2025,28 mins

Are the old robbing the young?

The Briefing Room

Available for over a year

In her budget the Chancellor increased the state pension by 4.8 % in line with the government's triple lock formula. It was good news for pensioners but is it good news for the young? A constant background to spending and economic decisions for well over a decade now has been an argument about generational injustice. That the young are getting poorer. David Aaronovitch and guests look at the facts and ask whether the old are robbing the young and if so what should be done about it? Guests: Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy at King’s College, London Sophie Hale, Principal Economist, Resolution Foundation Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies Jane Falkingham Professor of Demography, Southampton University Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Cordelia Hemming, Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

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