Just a quick investigation into Gormless George Woodward’s statement during a council meeting that Britain is “transitioning from a rich country to a poorer country”. This, of course, is the Reform playbook. Britain is broken, St. Helens is broken, and then bang on endlessly about immigration and hope the target audience takes the hint.
As ever with Reform UK bullshit it falls apart after 30 seconds of scrutiny. Britain’s GDP (gross domestic product) currently ranks 5th in the world. 25 years ago Britain ranked 4th; the only real change is the emergence of China as a major economy. Britain’s economy is currently ahead of comparable European neighbours such as France and Italy and the UK’s growth rate, while modest, is higher than Germany’s.
Now, I’m no economist, but this doesn’t appear to be a country in the process of ‘transitioning to a poorer country’.
Perhaps George is referring to the estimate that Britain has lost around 6% to 8% of GDP per capita since Brexit?Â
“Research indicates that Brexit has imposed a large, persistent cost on the UK economy. By 2025, it is estimated to have reduced UK GDP per capita by 6-8%, leaving business investment 12–18% lower, and productivity and employment down by 3–4% relative to a scenario where the UK remained in the EU”
As a former member of the Brexit Party, George might take some ownership if Britain isn’t doing as well as it should be.
St Helens Resistance
