Since the 2008 financial crisis, real wages have stagnated in Britain while the cost of living, student debts and housing have soared.
Politicians have failed to grasp the nettle on this issue. Many people, particularly younger people, feel that hard work no longer pays, while those with wealthy parents bank on inheritance to buy homes and start families.
But Makerfield MP Andy Burnham isn’t like other politicians. At least, that was the message that the man who will most likely be Britain’s next prime minister wanted to get across today, as he laid out his economic plan at the People’s History Museum in Manchester.
It is a criticism often (rightly, in my experience) levelled at politicians that they don’t care enough about young people and pursue policies that shore up the votes of the old.
As a result, the state pension has a triple lock to ensure it goes up year on year, while young adults are locked out of homeownership and, increasingly, well-paid employment. These are the basic building blocks of a life, yet they are out of reach for a growing number of young adults across the country.
