To wonder how the UK will look in 3 years time?

[Labradorlover987]

I was inspired to write this after reading the UC post that was just reported - the govt’s welfare bill has passed but was watered down so unlikely to make any real savings.

I earn 40k, have a school age child and just feel like I am living hand to mouth 😩 I 100% think there should be a welfare systems that supports people on low incomes but I wonder how the current system will be sustained in the long run?

Just wondered what other people thought.

I actually wouldn’t mind paying more in taxes if we could be guaranteed more in services etc - for example my council tax just went up and the services seem even worse this year than usual.

I think it will be even worse than now. Not to be dramatic, but nothing does really improve does it, the world was a better place with better services 3 years ago, and 3 years before that even better. Things get worse and worse, with no improvement to the average joe.

Gridlocked hell judging by the 2025 volume of traffic on our roads. We're addicted to cars so I believe people will suck up traffic congestion.
Oh and public transport will be expensive and infrequent

I don’t think the working population are going to tolerate continued tax increases (stealth or otherwise) to fund growing welfare payments for a growing pool of people - be that due to retirement, lack of work, illness etc.

It’s not just the value of these awards that is an issue - it’s the sheer number of people being able to claim them, and these numbers keep growing. 13 million pensioners. Nearly 4 million PIP claimants. 8 million UC claimants (was 5.5m in 2022).

These numbers swell and swell - and the working population dwindles.

No one seems willing to tackle it. It’s ludicrous.

The same but more expensive food and bills .. people really struggling

What’s your AIBU?

I think AI is going to wipe out a lot of jobs and there will be a big divide in haves and have nots. Benefits and pensions will have to be cut and the NHS privatised as the economy won’t sustain the huge welfare bill. Like Covid, most people will adapt and get on with it because life goes on.

Hopefully Reform free and Farage and his ilk are a distant memory
Halt division and hatred.

In three years? Not much different.

I agree, I don’t see anything getting better. The housing market will continue to slow, unemployment will be 10%, everything will be more expensive, the weather will be warmer, and possibly means-tested state pensions will have come in.

I think zero hour contracts really made things horrifically worse for alot of working class people. Then we have the smarmy faux middle class earning 60k who think they're untouchable in this mess, because they just about manage to keep their head above water, and don't think paying additional for taxes/services but poor quality is a big deal, as they can "afford to outsource". It will definitely become a worsening scenario of hand to mouth living for alot of people, but the only difference is how far their money will stretch. I think in the next 10 years it's going to be an unrecognisable hell hole.

In 3 years time, the country will be close to bankrupt. IMF will be preparing a package. The top rate taxpayers will have almost all left. The benefits gravy train will be off the tracks but still hurtling towards disaster. Illegal immigration will be even higher. There will be strikes every week, with the unions pretty much in charge of the dumpster fire that is this country.

And Reform will be preparing for power.

Enjoy folks.

I think there will be a lot more people in jail for expressing opinions that the government doesn't like. I think that vigilante groups will be formed to tackle crime because the police dont seem to be interested, and also because large swathes of criminals are being released because prisons are full.
( plus they will need the spaces for the thought criminals)

I really don't think so ,as what you describe is a Judge Dredd comic strip brought to life..ain't happening.

So missed the fact this is actually happening now?

Mmm definitely not in the city I live in .. population over 230,000.

Yep, sadly I think this too. A year into what I hoped would be a better government, schools and nhs is worse, taxes and cost of living is higher, economic growth is sluggish at best, businesses are being stiffled by the NI raise and costs of materials etc going up.
Health professionals can't get jobs after training hard and wait lists remain huge.

It's thoroughly depressing, and the perfect breeding ground for more extreme parties to gain ground. Labour need to turn this around fast to prevent our country become divided.

My job probably distorts my view, but there are so many physically and mentally unwell youngish people these days. These young people are just not capable of working or studying which makes me upset and worried for their future. Then we have a large immigrant population doing the jobs which no one else wants to do. It’s creating a sort of odd, two tier system in my very non diverse neck of the woods where white elderly people and young people with autism or MH are being cared for exclusively by black staff. It’s really odd, not the sort of multicultural dream that I envisaged. I don’t want a country where most of the black people I see in the community are carers or support workers. I want a world with true equality and opportunity for all. But what would it take to get the young white British people to work in care homes, and is it possible for African care assistants to progress to different careers where they aren’t subject to relentless racism, shift work, zero hour contracts and manual handling?

I have a similar income to you, I also wouldn’t mind paying more tax. Even 10% more, people would grumble of course but really I wouldn’t notice it in the end. And I’d trade that for better public services all day long!

high unemployment
property price crash
civil unrest in many areas
significant decline in living standards for all

What welfare bill?

This time three years ago (2022) ago we were still emerging from the effects of Covid, inflation was around 10% and we were just a few weeks away from the infamous Truss budget!

I assume OP means this one

www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/09/ministers-offer-another-concession-to-enshrine-safeguards-for-disabled-in-flagship-welfare-bill

And yet it's even worse now. At least the Tories kicked Truss out and reversed the crazy budget.

The current lunatics talked about a black hole in the finances (which they knew about) put taxes up 22bn and now need to increase them another 50bn.

I'm absolutely fed up with politicians. They don't need to get much right. Sort out the NHS, Build more homes, lock up criminals, curb immigration. Everything seems to be getting worse and very few positives anywhere to identify.

It’s getting worse now so god know what 3 years will be like. I definitely don’t want to be paying more tax for this crap government to keep wasting.

Unemployment will be up, economy will have stagnated even more, NHS will have had yet more millions chucked at it & will still be on the brink. Crime will be up. House prices will come down.

Labour will still be posting daily proud Facebook posts about how they’re securing the borders and deporting xxx amount of people daily.

I think in 3 years there will be talk of pension means testing too because we’ll be in so much debt. I will then spend my savings.

Like it is now, only a lot worse with more homelessness and unemployment. And we'll be eating cricket burgers and green protein slop (I think some people already do).

More antisocial behaviour
More internet restrictions
No free speech
Monitoring of individuals
Biometrics for more things
No demonstrating
Food more expensive
Rents unaffordable for most people
Perhaps a digital currency
Taxes on private property, so people have to sell up, then rent their homes from corporate landlords.