think a big part of the issue is that wages simply haven’t risen in line with inflation or the cost of living for the majority of skilled roles. Yes, minimum wage has increased and that’s absolutely the right thing but the knock-on effect is that roles that used to sit comfortably above that level (nurses, teachers, social workers, early-career engineers, lab techs, etc.) are now barely any further ahead in real-terms pay than they were 10+ years ago.
A £30–45k salary used to reflect a skilled professional career. Now, once you factor in rent or mortgage costs, utilities, food, transport, student loans, and pension contributions, it’s nowhere near the “comfortable” category it once was, especially in major cities.
The problem isn’t people earning over £45k. The problem is that so many jobs that should pay more than £45k don’t, because salaries have stagnated while costs have exploded. Instead of pitting workers against each other (“ordinary” vs “high earners”), the government should be focusing on supporting businesses and public services to properly align pay with the level of skill and responsibility required. Salaries need to catch up with reality, not just the minimum wage.
They also need to make tax bands realistic for modern salaries. If people were fairly paid, most would have no issue paying more tax because they would actually be able to afford to.
And the immigration and asylum system needs fixing, not politicising. The UK has huge labour and skills shortages. We need skilled people from other countries to fill those gaps, work, and pay into the system, instead of being stuck in limbo.
Right now it feels like the government would rather turn workers against each other – public vs private, low-paid vs mid-paid, UK-born vs immigrant – instead of fixing the structural issues. Divide and distract is a political strategy, not a solution.