Dr Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director, The Equality Trust said:

“The commitment to change expressed this morning by the Prime Minister must not ring hollow. There have been many words uttered on the steps of 10 Downing Street, about tackling burning injustices, and we urge this new government to tackle the entrenched inequalities damaging the fabric of our society. We call for a cross-departmental inequality reduction strategy, to make this country a more equal society, where everyone can flourish. When 6 billionaires control more wealth than 13 million people, when the average FTSE 100 CEO earns 121 times the salary of a nurse and when working people are forced to rely on food banks, there is clearly an urgent need for action to share the UK’s huge prosperity. 

Research demonstrates that in countries with high levels of income inequality, such as the UK, we see higher levels of mental and physical ill health, violent crime, obesity, imprisonment and lower levels of social mobility, educational attainment and trust. The Government, along with the rest of the global community, has committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and therefore, to reducing inequality, as SDG 10. We look forward to seeing it fulfil this promise.”