Research shows that despite higher rates of employment, lower income families are being squeezed by housing and living costs

Things have not being going well for low- and middle-income Britain: wages flatlining, public services crumbling and, as a result, faith in mainstream politics eroding. To start turning things around, it pays to understand the country as it exists today, not as it once was or as you imagine it to be.

So, we should all pay attention to “Unsung Britain”, a major research project from my old Resolution Foundation colleagues, which aims to provide an audit of the circumstances and challenges of the poorer half of the working-age population. Their launch report already has important lessons.