In the UK today, there’s a big gap between rich and poor. The richest 10% of society are more than a hundred times as wealthy as the poorest 10%. [1]

In unequal societies everyone loses out, not just the poorest. Compelling studies have shown that a smaller gap between rich and poor means less crime, better health and stronger communities: in other words, a better quality of life for everyone.

Big rises in inequality began in the 1980s and since then not enough has been done to effectively tackle the problem. Our politicians have paid lip-service to the idea of fighting inequality, but with the political agenda dominated by the perceived need for cuts, the worry is that these promises won’t result in any real policy commitments.

We’ve taken action together in the past to reduce the gap between rich and poor. This year we worked with the TUC to prevent the government from committing to damaging public service cuts that would have hit the poorest hardest. Economic recovery can and needs to happen without making inequality worse.

We’re calling on Parliamentary candidates to commit to taking action to reduce the gap between rich and poor, if they are elected in May. Email your local candidates now.

[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jan/27/unequal-britain-report