24 May 2023 , 23:01
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Three out of four Red Wall voters think nothing in Britain works anymore, a depressing poll reveals today.
In a fresh blow to the Tories’ election chances in former Labour strongholds the party seized in December 2019, 91% believe “things are worse than before” and 80% think the social contract - the idea of a society based on moral and political rules of behaviour - has collapsed.
Some 76% “believe nothing in Britain works anymore”.
Dismay in the Red Wall constituencies across the North and Midlands is higher than in the UK overall - but the picture painted is still bleak.
A majority of the 2,017 adults quizzed nationwide this month by More in Common for the left-leaning The New Britain Project think tank fears the UK is a country in decline.
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The findings will make grim reading for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the run-up to the next general election (PA)Some 58% think nothing in Britain works anymore and 76% believe things are worse than in the past.
Just 30% are optimistic for the future.
Britons see the country as struggling to compete with international rivals, with nearly 60% expressing concerns over the UK's ability to prepare for the future.
Personal disillusionment is also rampant, with 45% feeling they are not realising their potential and 48% worrying they lack control over their own lives.
Words people used to describe Britain in 2023 included: broken, mess, expensive, struggling, disaster, poor, divided, shambles and corrupt.
The survey marks the launch of The New Britain Project - a “progressive think tank focused on creating practical, medium-to-long-term policies to help combat the surging cost of living, tackle Britain's productivity gap, and revitalise our struggling public services”.
Labour leader Keir Starmer accused the Government of managing decline (PA)Director Anna McShane said: “When 58% of people think nothing in our country works anymore and 76% think we’re going backwards, Britain is in need of a serious overhaul.
“The New Britain Project is about generating thinking around the long term policies and vision Labour needs to win back public trust and turn things around.”
Earlier this week, Keir Starmer claimed the Tories were overseeing the demise of British industry.
The Labour leader told MPs: “Whilst others build resilience and seize opportunities, this Government seems content with managed decline.”
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, updating the Commons after last weekend’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, blasted the “mistaken view that is heard too often - the idea that Britain is somehow in retreat from the world stage or that our influence is in decline”.
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