‘So there are no-go zones in the UK after all’: Report saying super-rich making London ‘off-limits’ sparks eye-rolls on Twitter
A new report has concluded that the city of London is now “off-limits” for young people from poorer backgrounds and has become the “epicenter of the elites,” who lack self-awareness, prompting a lively debate online.
The report titled: ‘Elites in the UK: Pulling Away?’ and published by the Sutton Trust – a social mobility charity – highlights the emergence of an ultra-rich in the capital in recent decades, with their wealth commonly derived from the finance and banking sector.
Also on rt.com ‘Dangerous’: UK’s six richest people have as much wealth as poorest 13m, study shows, prompting outrage onlineTrust founder and chairman, Sir Peter Lampl, expanding on the reports findings, said that the idea that people from outside the capital relocate to London to “move up in the world” had become “a myth.”
Those that benefit most from opportunities in London were either born there or are the economically privileged from other parts of the country.
Lampl explained that the UK’s capital had become “off-limits” to poorer people who live outside the city.
The study’s findings have been met predominantly with an air of ‘should I be surprised?’ on Twitter with comments such as “No s**t” and“You don’t say” being posted. Others responded by jokingly referencing a widespread myth about dangerous areas in London, with one person tweeting: “So there are no-go zones in the UK after all.”
David Lammy, the Labour MP for the north London constituency of Tottenham, argued that it’s not just people from outside of the capital that “cannot afford rent or access the education they need to succeed” in London.
London must become a capital which serves more than only an elite class. It's not just people from elsewhere in the UK who feel locked out - many who have lived in the city all their lives cannot afford rent or access the education they need to succeed.https://t.co/2rTwL14DZi
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) January 22, 2020
Meanwhile someone claiming to have been brought up on a social housing estate and is now in a senior role for a FTSE 100 firm, branded the report “outrageous,” for “saying people in London are only those who are born rich or elite.”
This story @BBC_HaveYourSay is outrageous. Saying people in London are only those who are born rich or elite is just wrong. I grew up in a council estate and now work in a senior role for a FTSE 100 company due to hard work and tenacity - not privilege. https://t.co/ofVEFZh4ys
— Wayne - Devscover Pi and Coding (@devscover) January 22, 2020
The study warns of a lack of self-awareness among the super-rich who do not consider themselves to be “especially fortunate,” because they are “surrounded by numerous other people like themselves.”
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