Labour can win by shaping policies to stem the growing gap between rich and poor | Larry Elliott

Pensioners won the 2019 election for the Tories but a focus on improving pay and conditions for workers could swing power Labour’s way

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic Britain was becoming a more unequal country. The crisis of the past 15 months has hit poorer blue-collar workers harder than better off white-collar workers but official figures last week showed that the gap between rich and poor households was already wide.

The trend is clear. The Office for National Statistics says the Gini co-efficient – one measure of inequality – has been increasing by 0.2 points a year for the past decade. During that time the incomes of the richest 20% – after tax, benefits and inflation were taken into account – rose by 0.9% a year on average, while those of the poorest 20% fell by 0.3% on average.

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Coronavirus | The Guardian

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