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Politics Boris Johnson government Levelling up poverty

Why Johnson cannot take low-income voters for granted

The public has kept faith with the PM so far, but a disappointing Queen’s Speech and rising destitution suggest rocks ahead

By Helen Barnard  
May 14, 2021

The pandemic has seen a surge of hunger, resulting from extreme poverty. Photo: Sam Oaksey / Alamy Stock Photo

This has been a bumper week for politics and policy news, starting with the post-election analysis, and followed by the Queen’s Speech setting out the government’s legislative programme for the year. A newly-confident Boris Johnson administration paints an exciting picture of a country waiting to be transformed. But whether this transformation will actually reach the lives of those struggling to stay afloat remains to be seen.

First, the election results. “Super Thursday” was a good day for incumbents across the UK. In England it was clear that the voters who swept Johnson to power in 2019 are sticking…

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Helen Barnard

Helen Barnard is Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

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