Britain’s growing army of pensioners should be delivering pizza

Over-50s could deliver pizza. They could try their hand at Uber driving. Or they could put in the occasional shift at the Amazon warehouse. Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, won’t have done his political career any favours this week with his suggestion that retired people who are struggling to make ends meet could earn extra cash in the gig economy. But whether voters in the leafy shires like it or not, Stride is spot on: many pensioners can, and should, work part time and they can’t be too fussy about what jobs are available.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is probably already wondering how quickly he can fire Stride, or at least demote him to a couple of days a week making coffee at Pret. On a visit to Deliveroo’s headquarters in London yesterday, Stride called on companies to take on more of the over-50s, at the same time as reminding more senior members of the workforce that they might have to consider a wider range of jobs if they want to earn some extra money.