This is how ailing Great Britain is
After 14 years in power, the Tories are facing a historic defeat, Labour leader Starmer is expected to move into Downing Street imminently. He will be met with significant challenges in various areas, the situation is dire in many sectors.
In the British parliamentary election, it is highly likely that the power of the Conservatives will end after 14 years. If Labour wins on this Thursday, party leader Keir Starmer will face some of the greatest challenges that a new government has had to deal with since the end of the Second World War. The economy is growing slowly. The healthcare sector and other service industries are under pressure. Furthermore, there is little room in public finances to address these issues. The previous Rishi Sunak government also fell short of its targets for immigration and housing. Below are some of the key tasks for the next government:
Economy
The British economy, like many other wealthy countries, has grown only slowly in most years since the financial crisis of 2008/2009. The growth since 2010, when the Conservatives came to power, was stronger than in Germany, France, or Italy. However, the advantage is small. The standard of living is expected to decline during the next parliamentary term for the first time since the 1950s.
Sunak argues that the economy will recover from the Corona crisis and the increase in energy prices. Starmer, on the other hand, promises that under Labour, Britain will achieve the strongest sustainable growth among the G7 countries. Since the pandemic, the economy has been the second weakest among the leading industrial nations. "Even though unemployment is low, high inflation has heavily burdened voters," says Commerzbank analyst Christoph Balz.
Poverty
Poverty is decreasing but the pace has slowed since 2010. Anyone who has less than 60% of the average income of the entire population at their disposal is considered at risk of poverty. This so-called absolute poverty decreased five times faster in the 13 years up to the financial year 2009/10 than since then, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Other indicators also show the effects of inflation. In the year 2019/20, four percent of adults of working age could not afford to heat their homes sufficiently. Three years later, according to the IFS, this proportion was eleven percent.
Immigration
Several conservative governments have missed their targets for reducing immigration - even after Britain left the EU and abolished the free movement of workers from the Union. Now, more workers from EU countries are leaving Britain than entering. However, the number of people coming from other countries, especially India and Nigeria, has increased significantly. Net migration fell from a record high of 764,000 in the year 2022 to 685,000 in the previous year, but is almost four times higher than in 2019.
Healthcare
The healthcare sector is under pressure, and the challenges are significant. The NHS (National Health Service) is facing a backlog of treatments, and waiting times are longer than ever. The number of patients waiting more than a year for treatment has increased by 450% since 2010. The number of people waiting for routine operations has doubled. The pandemic has only exacerbated the situation. The Royal College of Surgeons has warned that the backlog could take up to a decade to clear. The number of doctors and nurses per capita in the UK is also lower than in other leading European countries. The number of hospital beds per capita is also lower than in most European countries. The situation is particularly critical in Scotland and Wales. The number of beds per capita is lower than in all other European countries except Malta and Cyprus. The number of doctors and nurses per capita is also lower than in most European countries. The situation is particularly critical in Scotland and Wales. The number of beds per capita is lower than in all other European countries except Malta and Cyprus. The number of doctors and nurses per capita is also lower than in most European countries. The situation is particularly critical in Scotland and Wales.
In the healthcare sector, things are not running smoothly. More and more people are having to wait long periods for non-urgent treatment. By the end of 2023, there were nearly eight million people in England waiting, which is almost double the number from four years prior. Things have improved somewhat in recent months, but the NHS is significantly behind its target of beginning treatment for almost all non-urgent patients within 18 weeks. Even emergency patients cannot all be treated immediately. Since 2010, inflation-adjusted healthcare expenditures have grown more slowly than the average since the 1950s - and this in times when the population is growing and aging.
Housing
The conservative government is unlikely to achieve its goals in housing. In the twelve months up to the end of March 2023, around 234,000 homes were built in England. The number was below the target of 300,000 set for the middle of the 1920s. The British housing market offers the worst price-performance ratio of all comparable economies, according to the think tank Resolution Foundation.
Productivity and Investments
Economic growth drives more money into the government coffers and more money into people's pockets - this is one of the major challenges for the next government. To achieve this, productivity needs to improve. London and South East England are the only regions in the UK where output per hour exceeds the national average. However, more investments from the private sector are also needed. But companies have been reluctant to invest since the Brexit referendum in 2016, which caused prolonged instability.
The Tory's historic defeat in the British House of Commons election could pave the way for the Labour Party under Keir Starmer, with Brexit likely marking the end of the Conservatives' 14-year reign. If Labour wins, they will inherit significant challenges in various sectors, including the economy, which has grown slowly since the financial crisis of 2008/2009, and healthcare, where the National Health Service (NHS) is facing a backlog of treatments and longer waiting times than ever before. The situation is critical in Scotland and Wales, with lower numbers of hospital beds and doctors and nurses per capita than in most European countries.
