Why won't any political party focus or help the squeezed middle

[Winterday1991]

Off the back of another thread, has got me thinking about the next general election.

Why is there not a party that will focus on the middle earners in the squeezed south east , where both partners work full time, who are struggling juggling mortgages, cost of childcare and self fund everything and are over threshold for any help or subsidies ie child benefit, cost of living payments, free childcare via universal credit?

We are a middle/highish income family and are just so sick of paying into the system and getting nothing back! The amount of tax we pay is insane, certainly not anywhere near value for money. Labour just seem to want to focus on single parent families and those on universal credit.

Any party who focuses on the middle will surely win the election?

One of you is, one of you isn't. You've still got one of you just paying 20%.

Yes, I'm so sorry your 95k isn't enough for you, my heart bleeds.

It is having young kids that need childcare that is hard IMO. Once they are past that stage life gets easier. We were broke when ours were small but not now they are teens.

I'll give you the child benefit thing because actually the way that is worked out is silly.

However 'people' on universal credit don't get 85% of childcare paid. Single parents get childcare paid because how else would they ever work?

You also seem to have very little understanding of UC other than your neighbours who appear to be well off.

I get it, you earn well and you want a lifestyle that you can't afford. However if you look at it properly I can guarantee that you're overall better off than on benefits. And if you dont believe that then maybe give up the well paying job and the security of owning a home and see how you get on.

but you aren't top earners in the south. and in the south, there is a lot more London money which is often based on the housing equity of previous generations or non PAYE income. You rely on income which puts you at a disadvantage in the south which is the second richest region in the UK.

I am in London too and i sympathize but things are how they are. we are on £120k , live in a 2 bed flat and we don't run a car but i am 10000x times more fortunate than those who rely on benefits. Yet at the same time, I consider myself to be of modest means. Things are often nuanced, there is a lot of inequality even amongst those who are top 10% of PAYE earners as the gaps are quite wide.

Don't resent the people who have little, the reason why you are just managing doesn't have anything to do with people on UC.

We don't need the specifics to know they're not the squeezed middle, it's totally objective. In the top 10% of household incomes you aren't middle anything.

I dont quite get who would pay for it though. Are you suggesting people like you should pay less tax so can afford stuff more easily, but the things tax pays for need to reduce too as a result, or are you aiming for people who earn more than you to pay more tax so you can have cheaper childcare too.

I am genuinley trying to understand what a squeezed middle set of policies would be.

From this Im hearing universal free childcare like many other countries?

I cant work out if you are being serious. £95k is not the squeezed middle. surely the squeezed middle is circa £40k, just above UC threshold.

Anyone who wants subsidised childcare surely knows Labour would aim to deliver this. The Tories are the party of rich pensioners.

Not according to government stats. It is a minority.

Employment rate for people on Universal Credit was 41% in June 2022.

That includes those who are part-time

Maybe parties aren't focusing on you because comparably to probably about 98% of the country you are doing absolutely fine. I have a child, our household brings in about 25k a year, not entitled to benefits, apart from £90 a month CB. When voting comes around I will be thinking about which party can help those worse off than us. I cannot imagine in any lifetime earning almost 100k a year and moaning that nobody cares about me. Truly astonishing.

labour want to means test subsidised childcare, which means we would probably lose out again.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/13/labour-rules-out-universal-childcare-for-young-children-in-fiscal-credibility-drive

In which case my point stands that they've overstretched. When someone on a much lower income posts on Mumsnet in London or the SE there are many posts telling them to move to a cheaper area. Maybe the OP should do something similar if she's so so squeezed, but in fact I doubt she's squeezed at all and is just annoyed that her money doesn't go as far as it used to.

I do get this as I’ve both lived in a council house on tax credits and now very much in that squeezed middle bracket, just above eligibility for child benefit etc. To be honest I think would be a winner if they just ironed out some of the very unjust anomalies such as the astronomical marginal tax rates HICB causes and the denial of the full maintenance loan for young people from such families. Although yes they’re really isn’t a huge difference in lifestyle between us and people on UC, we do have slightly more longer term benefits such as a slightly nicer house (
council house had no ensuite let alone 2nd toilet) workplace pensions and hopefully the security of owning our own homes in retirement. Thinking also of another current thread, not losing our main income stream as soon as kids leave full time education

I’d also like to add that I was single parent for 7 years… nobody paid my child care for me. I used salary sacrifice (essentially saved 30%), I also wasn’t given a council house and I had no where near the same income as someone on £60k a year. Shock horror I actually had / have a professional job because amazingly single parents are all different and I’d imagine some are even teachers and the other professions that are described (and would qualify even at full time for UC top ups!!)

What bollocks. You say you don’t have kids so after paying the mortgage you have 5k left over to play with? How is that squeezed in any way shape or form? I also live in London, combined income here of about 70k, also no kids, and we have a fabulous life, several holidays a year, eat out when we like. The fuck are you spending all your money on?

it is location based, but equally there are a lot of people in the town worse off than her. Its not a race to the bottom but i disagree with the poster attacking people who have little.

What she should be angry about is our lack of economic growth. if economic growth was higher, someone in a professional role (which i assume she probably has) would be earning more and so she would probably be on a household income of £150k rather than £92k. that would make things a lot easier esp if housing was cheaper (if the government had actually replaced the social housing they sold off creating more supply). She would probably not feel so squeezed. Professional salaries have stagnated too. That is also the government's fault.

We're managing on 25k for 2 adults, most of us are getting by on a lot less than you. You seem to be struggling, maybe you should have a look on the cost of living board and see if you can pick up some budgeting tips

Economically inactive have much less stress in their lives?

You are delusional and offensive. You are in a privileged position and you should be thankful in this climate you are not experiencing grinding poverty.

A minimum wage worker who is cleaning hospitals all day and needs UC to top up their income to pay their child care costs and rent is not less deserving than you.
They probably work harder than you and have a mountain of stress to contend with keeping the plates spinning.

You can pay your way with comfort so stop being so ungrateful

Oh just vote Tory then.

They've done a great job for you the last 13 years

And I've already said two working parents shouldn't be in a position where certain sacrifices are having to be made, but the OP isn't making these sacrifices they're just complaining that their 95k a year isn't enough, that they don't get free childcare, that they get no free help from the government. Can you honestly not see how insensitive that is to the 90% of households on a lower income?