OPINION: Most disappointing part of the Budget is the government’s attitude

Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government has, astutely, identified ‘the high street’ as a ripe political issue in the UK. There’s a pervasive sense across the country that high streets are in decline, and this government has latched onto that with a succession of rhetorical and policy pledges designed to give it a much-needed boost. Largely neglected by previous governments and battered by cost rises, the covid pandemic and the growth of online commerce, the state of Britain’s high streets is a visible local issue people care about.