UK general election 2024: Key issues by the numbers

Citizens all over the UK are voting today during a time when the nation is dealing with major issues, ranging from healthcare concerns to the high cost of living.

The current Conservative Party, headed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is expected to be defeated, opening the door for the first Labour government in the country in 14 years.

As per Ipsos, a big research company that studies markets, the main problems people talked about were healthcare and the National Health Service (NHS) (41 percent), the economy (33 percent), immigration (30 percent), inflation (29 percent), and housing (17 percent).

7.6 Million People Waiting For NHS Healthcare

Healthcare is the top concern in the UK right now, with 40% of people saying it is one of the most important issues, according to Ipsos.

Both the Conservative party, also called the Tories, and the Labour party have stated that decreasing the amount of time patients have to wait in the publicly-funded NHS is a top concern for them.

The latest data shows that 7.6 million individuals are currently waiting for treatment through the NHS, which is only a small decrease from the previous peak of 7.8 million in September. This marks a significant increase from 2010, with the number of people on waiting lists tripling since then.

Out of the 7.6 million cases, over 302,500 experienced delays lasting longer than 52 weeks, equivalent to a year. Approximately 50,400 cases were stuck waiting for more than 65 weeks, which is one year and three months. Additionally, nearly 5,000 cases faced waits of over 78 weeks, equating to one year and six months.

The typical wait time was 13.9 weeks, which increased from 5.2 weeks in March 2010.

During the past 14 years of the Conservative party's leadership, the percentage of individuals experiencing wait times exceeding four hours to receive medical attention at UK hospital emergency departments has consistently increased. This statistic is a critical measure of the effectiveness of the National Health Service (NHS).

In the beginning of 2011, approximately 6 percent of patients experienced wait times exceeding four hours. Presently, that figure has increased to around 45 percent.

Many people believe the increase in waiting times is due to a lack of funding caused by years of budget cuts following the 2007-08 financial crisis.

Even though the NHS has received more money each year since 2010, the amount of the increase has decreased significantly. During the Labour government, funding went up by approximately 6 percent annually when accounting for inflation. However, under the Conservatives, the increase has only been around 2 percent, as noted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Economy: Lowest Income Growth In Generations

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the UK has experienced the lowest income growth in generations over the past 15 years.

Tom Waters, who is an associate director at the IFS, mentioned in May that progress in reducing absolute poverty has been very slow for all groups of people, whether they are wealthy or poor, old or young. He also noted that income inequality has remained stable during this time.

The amount of money made by each person in the country, known as the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, increased by only 4.3 percent from 2007 to 2023. This is lower than the 46 percent growth seen in the previous 16 years, as reported by the Resolution Foundation think tank.

This is the smallest rate of growth since 1826.

Tougher Stance On Immigration

Over the last few years, the number of people moving to the UK compared to those leaving has hit an all-time high.

At the close of 2023, the UK saw a long-term net migration of around 685,000 individuals, which is almost triple the number from ten years ago.

Out of all the people, Indian citizens were the most common with 250,000 coming to the UK for a long time. Following closely behind were Nigerians (141,000), Chinese (90,000), Pakistanis (83,000), and Zimbabweans (36,000).

The Conservatives have promised many times to take strong action against the increasing number of individuals coming into the country using unconventional methods, like crossing the English Channel from France in small boats. Among them are many people seeking asylum.

Sunak's administration supported a very controversial proposal to send undocumented individuals to Rwanda for their asylum applications to be reviewed. However, the agreement has been rejected multiple times by courts, which have deemed the proposal illegal.

It has been two years since the announcement was made, but so far no flights have departed for Rwanda. Sunak has mentioned that if he is elected, the first flight could potentially take off on July 24.

The Labour Party has announced that if they come out on top in the election, they will cancel the Rwanda plan. Additionally, they made a commitment to reduce overall migration numbers, although they have not specified the methods they will use to achieve this.

Increasing Living Expenses

The price of everyday expenses in the UK has gone up significantly in recent years, with inflation hitting a 41-year peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022. This surge can be attributed to disruptions in the supply chain due to COVID-19 and the conflict in Ukraine.

New information indicates that the yearly inflation rate decreased to 2 percent in May 2024, compared to 2.3 percent in the previous month, marking the lowest rate in nearly three years.

Even though inflation has decreased to meet the Bank of England's expectations, many people in the UK are still struggling to afford everyday goods and services because their salaries are not increasing.

Outrageous Home Costs

For people looking to buy a home, the cost of purchasing a house has become much higher. In 2019, the average price of a house was 8.3 times the amount of money earned annually, compared to 6.8 times earnings in 2010.

The percentage of people aged 45-59 and 35-44 who own their own homes in the UK has decreased by 7.1 and 6.5 points since 2010. However, there has been a slight increase in homeownership among those aged 25-34.

The increasing cost of housing is due to a lack of homes available, with experts pointing fingers at a rigid and uncertain urban planning process.

England has fewer homes per thousand people compared to the OECD average. It lags behind countries like France and Italy, which have more homes per thousand inhabitants.

Based on information from the Local Government Association, the amount of temporary housing caused by the lack of social housing increased by 89 percent over the decade leading up to March 2023.

The increased demands for assistance from local governments have been heightened by the austerity measures put in place to decrease the national budget deficit. These measures were put into effect when a coalition government between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties took office in 2010.

Rental prices for private accommodations have been steadily rising, with an approximate increase of 6.2 percent in January 2024. This marks the highest annual percentage change since the start of this data series in January 2016.

Other Issues To Consider

In the UK, people are concerned about a variety of important issues. These include reduced government investment in education, higher foreign expenses on defense, the effects of inflation on poverty rates, a lack of trust in the government, and the rate of crime in certain regions.

In the field of education, the amount of money spent on each student has not increased, as reported by the IFS. Their study on education in 2023 showed that in the 2022-2023 school year, after adjusting for inflation, the total amount of money the UK government spent on education decreased by 8 percent or 10 billion pounds ($12.7bn) compared to 2010-2011.

National security and international relations, including financial support for Ukraine to resist Russia’s attack and the conflict in Gaza, are also important topics.

Up to now, the UK has promised to provide 12.5 billion pounds ($15.9bn) in support to Ukraine, with 7.6 billion pounds ($9.6bn) dedicated to military aid. The UK is among the top contributors to Kyiv, along with the United States and Germany.

In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, a recent survey conducted by YouGov and sponsored by Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Council for Arab-British Understanding revealed that over 70% of individuals in the UK are in favor of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.