Dr Scott Davidson, an academic from the University of Leicester who has written extensively on age and politics, believes this has been exacerbated by a lack of planning. "We have all known these changes have been coming – they [were] identified decades ago – but short-termism in politics has meant our society has not truly reflected on how we adjust. I would say certainly that progressive politics in Britain has been wilfully neglectful of this demographic change."

Dr Davidson said he worries that "residue ageist attitudes amongst some on the left" will actually aid the right: "The origins of the movement that set out to stop the state from supporting people in later life by framing this as somehow being unfair to younger people was the neo-liberal Americans for Generational Equity. Right-wing politicians in the US have been using this as an argument to kill off the welfare state for decades. I am now aware of many people, often journalists, who think of themselves as being progressive who are now aligned with the Washington neo-liberals. We all hope to live a long-life, and cutting pensions or health care isn't cutting 'their' pensions or health service; it is cutting 'your' pension and health service. Those who push intergenerational conflict are engaging in a zero-sum game where no one wins. They are useful idiots for neo-liberalism. The better answer is to promote intergenerational solidarity."