Polling consistently shows that British voters have entered a new phase of political disillusionment. Not the angry, insurgent variety that powered Brexit and the rise of populism. Something quieter and, in some ways, more troubling: a simple, bone-deep conviction that politicians cannot actually change anything that matters in their lives.
The figures are remarkable. In 1997, 72% of Britons believed that government policy had a significant effect on their standard of living. Today that figure is 31%. Across every age group, every region, every income band, the trend is consistent.
This is the environment in which the current government must govern. It is not hostile, exactly. It is indifferent. And indifference may be harder to overcome than hostility.