Britain’s economic record since 2007 ranks near the bottom among peer countries
Many Western countries have had a rough time of it. But Britain has some specific maladies
Shortly after becoming prime minister in 2007, Gordon Brown crowed that Britain had enjoyed “the longest uninterrupted period of economic growth in the history of our country”. In polling by Gallup that year, with the global financial crisis about to begin, 53% of respondents said that their lives were improving. This year just 28% agreed that life was getting better. Faith in government has also taken a hit, particularly since the Brexit vote in 2016.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Declinism and data”
From the December 17th 2022 edition
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