The Richer, The Poorer: How Britain Enriched the Few and Failed the Poor. A 200-Year History

320 Pages·20.704 MB·English

by  Stewart Lansley

“Scrupulous, impressive and irrefutable. No one can read this damning

historical portrait without wondering why we allow such grotesque
gaps – seldom related to merit or social worth – to continue.
An utterly necessary book.”
David Kynaston, author of Austerity Britain
“An important and illuminating book, an essential antidote to the
outdated and iniquitous idea that some people are worth
more than others.”
Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level
“A readable and illuminating context to our present-day extreme
inequalities, exposing the narratives that justify these persistent conditions
and the folly of ignoring them.”
Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies

THE RICHER, THE POORER

How Britain Enriched the Few
and Failed the Poor
A 200- YEAR HISTORY
Stewart Lansley
First published in Great Britain in 2022 by
Policy Press, an imprint of
Bristol University Press
University of Bristol
1- 9 Old Park Hill
Bristol
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© Bristol University Press 2022
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4473-6320-0 hardcover
ISBN 978-1-4473-6321-7 paperback
ISBN 978-1-4473-6323-1 ePdf
ISBN 978-1-4473-6322-4 ePub
The right of Stewart Lansley to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
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The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely those of the author and
not of the University of Bristol or Bristol University Press. The University of Bristol and Bristol
University Press disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any
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Cover design: Liam Roberts
Front cover image: iStock/ jamielawton
Bristol University Press and Policy Press use environmentally responsible print partners.
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CMP, Poole
Also by Stewart Lansley

Poverty and Progress in Britain (with G.C. Fiegehen and A.D. Smith)
Housing and Public Policy
Poor Britain (with Joanna Mack)
Beyond Our Ken (with Andy Forrester and Robin Pauley)
After the Gold Rush
Top Man: How Philip Green Built His High Street Empire (with
Andy Forrester)
Rich Britain: The Rise and Rise of the New Super- Wealthy
The Cost of Inequality
Breadline Britain, The Rise of Mass Poverty (with Joanna Mack)
A Sharing Economy
It’s Basic Income, The Global Debate (editor, with Amy Downes)

I’d like to dedicate the book to the memories of
Peter Townsend, David Donnison, Tony Atkinson,
John Veit- Wilson and John Hills.

‘The art of making yourself rich is equally and necessarily the

art of keeping your neighbour poor.’
John Ruskin, 1860
‘What thoughtful people call the problem of poverty, thoughtful
poor people call with equal justice, a problem of riches.’
R.H. Tawney, 1913
‘The poor stay poor, the rich get rich. That’s how it goes,
everybody knows.’
Leonard Cohen,
‘Everybody Knows’, I’m Your Man, 1988