Doom loop of decline: how struggling high streets fuel far-right sympathies in UK
Retail accounts for 5% of the UK economy – but its visibility gives it an outsize influence on public perceptionUp and down Britain there are boarded-up shops. Banks and department stores have been replaced by vape shops, barbers and bookmakers. Shoplifting is at a record high, local services...
<p>Retail accounts for 5% of the UK economy – but its visibility gives it an outsize influence on public perception</p><p>Up and down Britain there are boarded-up shops. Banks and department stores have been replaced by vape shops, barbers and bookmakers. Shoplifting is at a record high, local services cut, and <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/ipsos-reveals-high-prices-and-declining-high-streets-key-local-concerns-britons">public frustration</a> is mounting.</p><p>Politically, high street decline is perfect campaign fodder for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/29/doom-loop-of-decline-how-struggling-high-streets-fuel-far-right-sympathies-in-uk">Continue reading...</a>
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