ITV News Anchor's Scathing Summary Of The UK's Economy Wins Over The Internet

ITV News anchor Tom Bradby has been widely praised for his brutal assessment of the UK which he shared while presenting the News at 10 on Monday night.

Summarising a new report from the Resolution Foundation which sent shockwaves around the country yesterday, Bradby was not afraid to hammer home the think tank’s central message.

He said: “Picture a country going backwards, where workers haven’t had a decent pay rise in 15 years, public services are on the verge of collapse and the gap between rich and poor grows year on year.

“That is how Britain was described today in a bleak and damning asset.”

The think tank’s report suggested the cost of living crisis in the UK would last until 2027, pointed out that UK average wages at £10,700 lower than they were expected to be back in 2008, and there’s currently a £8,300 gap in living standards between the UK and the rest of Europe.

The report pointed out that the UK’s productivity gap with France, Germany and the US has doubled since 2008 to 18%.

That works out to £3,400 in lost output per person.

He pointed out that the UK is now lagging behind countries which used to be seen as equals, and said the discrepancy with our allies was “staggering”. 

He added: “We’d be here all night if we listed the failings identified in the 290 page report.

“But, put simply, in almost every sector, the UK is just not productive enough.

“And if there’s any hope of turning this ship around, the authors say radical reform is needed.” 

He pointed out that people would probably be “really shocked” by the figures, just as he was, and asked: “What are Germany and France doing right that we’re not?”

Bradby’s description came shortly after chancellor Jeremy Hunt played down the findings, saying the UK was “one of the world’s best and most brilliant countries at beating ourselves up”.

Speaking at the Resolution Foundation’s conference in Westminster, Hunt claimed the UK could be the “most prosperous” economy this century because of its “untapped potential”.

However, it was Bradby’s take on the report which built up more than half a million views in less than 12 hours on X (formerly Twitter).

Other accounts were quick to respond to Bradby’s monologue and praise him for his searing take on the report.