In the 35 years since I was first elected to serve in the House of Commons, I can think of no more daunting set of circumstances for a new prime minister to inherit. It is as if all the problems of the past 50 years have descended on us in one fell swoop. The industrial relations problems and energy price hikes of the 1970s. The inflation of the 1980s and the onslaught of a biblical famine in east Africa. The devastation and war in Europe of the 1990s and the financial crisis and economic instability of the 2000s – as well as the difficult relationship with our neighbours in the EU.
Add to these terrifying price hikes, rising interest rates on mortgages and rent rises. Is it any wonder our younger generation is the first since the first world war to believe that they will be less well off than their parents.
