Skip to content
Opens in a new window
Is Britain Facing a Lost Decade for Living Standards?
30 October 2026

Is Britain Facing a Lost Decade for Living Standards?

Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins

About

Britain is being warned to prepare for a decade of economic pain. The Institute for Fiscal Studies says the 2020s are on course to be the worst decade for household income growth on record, while the Resolution Foundation forecasts typical non-pensioner households will be £1,050 worse off by 2029. Lindsay Judge, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation, joins us to break down the figures, the impact of John Healey’s Autumn Budget and what it means for families already struggling with the cost of living.


Former Conservative adviser Leon Emirali gives his verdict on the Government’s economic strategy. With higher borrowing costs, pressure on public services and household incomes under strain, are Labour’s plans enough to turn the economy around? And can Andy Burnham reduce the ballooning welfare bill after saying ministers want to bring it down as quickly as possible, without resorting to what he calls crude cuts?


And is the online manosphere becoming a public health threat? Maeve Halligan, founding president of the Cambridge University Society of Women, joins us following calls for misogynistic influencers and harmful online content to be treated in a similar way to the tobacco industry. Where should the line be drawn between protecting women and girls, and freedom of speech?


Living standards, cost of living, Autumn Budget 2026, John Healey, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Resolution Foundation, Lindsay Judge, Leon Emirali, Andy Burnham, welfare spending, benefits, Labour government, manosphere, misogyny, online influencers, social media, women’s safety, freedom of speech.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.