Introduction: Inequality and the Future of London

The economic and political power that sits within London is often accused of masking the extent of poverty and inequality in the capital. This collection of articles shows that, in a range of different ways, this inequality is not masked at all. Rather, it hides in plain sight, presenting challenges to a Labour government seeking to stamp its own identity on an increasingly fractured political landscape in the United Kingdom.

The political goals that this Labour government is seeking to pursue in terms of increasing economic growth, extending opportunity and building more housing cannot be achieved without a major contribution from London, nor can it depend on another term in power without London voters. However, as argued in the first article by Graeme Atherton, the relative security of the London vote and the greater ubiquitousness of inequality and its deleterious impact in other parts of the country turn Labour's gaze away from the capital. How to balance the inarguable need for policies that support areas of the country which have fared poorly in recent decades, whilst also acknowledging London's problems, will be difficult. Failing to do this may have political consequences, as Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, shows in the second article, where she argues that economic and social changes are leading to Labour no longer being able to take the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) vote for granted in London.

The area where London's problems are the most visible is housing. The availability and affordability of accommodation is an escalating issue nationally. But it is a particularly acute one in London. Labour has set very ambitious targets for house building nationally, and Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros, Jonathan Manns and Lucy Natarajan examine the viability of reaching these targets in the London context and who may lose out and gain from them. They focus on how inequalities in the ability of different groups to shape this process in the complex environment of London may lead to further problems. The broader challenges where inequality and housing are concerned are addressed in the article by Jack Brown and Joe Fyans. They discuss the long-term nature of the problem of access to affordable housing in the capital and argue that the size of the problem calls for a ‘multifaceted and daring transformation of the system by which homes are planned and developed in and around London’.

Looking at housing in London brings home the diversity of places in the city. As much as it is one global city, it is an agglomeration of distinct places, many bigger than the majority of the individual towns in England and equally different to each other. The politics of London, both from the inside and the outside, is shaped by this diversity, as Rupa Huq points out in her article. The articles by Jon Cruddas and Peter John take a more granular approach, homing in on two specific parts of London on opposite sides of the city.

Cruddas reflects on the history of Dagenham and how it captures the evolution of the working class over the last century. He argues that the future of Dagenham encapsulates much of what the present government has to deal with. Peter John, in contrast, looks at Feltham, on the opposite side of the city to Dagenham, but nevertheless equally scarred by inequality. Feltham is located within the borough of Hounslow, close to Heathrow Airport. Despite ready sources of employment nearby, it has below average levels of education participation post 18, and this is holding the area back. He outlines what could be done to further Labour's opportunity mission by bringing higher education to the Feltham community.

As with London itself, this special edition illustrates the key role played by diversity in its various forms in understanding political questions. Inequality looks different in London than in the rest of the country. But its impacts are no less far-reaching, and dealing with them is no less important for this Labour government.