Tackling the UK's insecurity crisis

The analysis argues that the UK's economic insecurity is rooted in neoliberalism, which prioritizes individual resilience over collective security. This is evidenced by underinvestment in public infrastructure, the sale of 2.5 million social houses between 1979 and 2022, and a lack of energy storage (four days compared to France's fourteen). In contrast, Finland's approach to housing, energy, and social policy—including a 'housing first' strategy and a basic income pilot—is presented as a model for restoring public confidence and wellbeing. The authors suggest that a cost-neutral universal basic income of approximately £60 per week for single adults could more than halve child and pensioner poverty in the UK.

• Economic insecurity in the UK is driven by neoliberal governance that prioritizes personal responsibility over collective security, placing the burden of surviving economic shocks on the individual.
• UK policy decisions since the 1980s have fractured collective security by using public wealth from North Sea oil and privatization to fund tax cuts rather than investing in public infrastructure and social security.
• The UK housing market has shifted from the security of social housing to the insecurity of private renting, with 2.5 million social houses sold between 1979 and 2022 and 4.4 million households now renting privately.
• The UK's energy insecurity is characterized by a lack of diversification and storage; the UK holds only four days of gas reserves, whereas France holds fourteen and Germany holds eight.
• The UK has experienced a greater loss of natural biodiversity than any other G7 nation and almost any other country in western Europe, undermining its ecological security.
• Finland provides a counter-model of collective security through heavy investment in housing, a 'housing first' approach to homelessness (resulting in a homeless population of 0.08%), and state intervention in energy to protect vulnerable citizens.
• A Finnish basic income pilot for 2,000 unemployed people showed positive effects on mental and physical health, overall wellbeing, and trust in future work prospects.
• Modelling for the UK suggests a cost-neutral basic income of approximately £60 per week for single adults would more than halve child and pensioner poverty, while a payment of £230 per week would reduce both by over three quarters.

APA

Webster, H., & Murray, T. (2023). Tackling the UK's insecurity crisis. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/tackling-the-uks-insecurity-crisis/

Chicago

Webster, Hannah, and Toby Murray. Tackling the UK's insecurity crisis. Green European Journal, 2023. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/tackling-the-uks-insecurity-crisis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Webster |first1=Hannah |last2=Murray |first2=Toby |title=Tackling the UK's insecurity crisis |publisher=Green European Journal |date=17 January 2023 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/tackling-the-uks-insecurity-crisis/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{webster2023tackling, author = {Webster, Hannah and Murray, Toby}, title = {{Tackling the UK's insecurity crisis}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/tackling-the-uks-insecurity-crisis/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }