Mr Hutton may face the difficult task of pushing forward legislation delaying the official retirement age or introducing compulsory saving for pensions.

BBC: Mr Hutton is seen as ultra-loyal to Tony Blair

In principle, such a compulsory age is discriminatory, but the European directive allows countries to set a national retirement age.

ECONOMIST: Age discrimination

Both sides in the debate cite the experience of America, which banned age discrimination in 1967 and abolished compulsory retirement for most workers in 1986.

ECONOMIST: Age discrimination