When Andy Burnham takes over as Prime Minister, as he almost certainly will do later this month, he will have nine living predecessors.
That is unprecedented in our history. During the 20th century, there were never more than five former PMs alive at the same time and they were often very old.
It is also a huge and growing burden on the taxpayer, since all ex-PMs are entitled to lifelong, high-level armed security and detailed protection schedules, as well as an exceptionally generous six-figure stipend for ‘expenses’.
To the casual observer, this might seem a minor problem. After all, it involves just nine
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