Big Futures Open Letter & Supporters
Dear Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP,
Many of us have bought into the idea of progress and that life improves for younger people and future generations. Yet, today in 2022, almost two thirds of young people fear for their generation’s future.
For years, it feels like we have been spiralling from one crisis to the next. More than one in five people in the UK live in poverty. Things only seem to be getting worse as a further 1.3million people are predicted to be plunged into poverty by 2023.
Whilst we wholeheartedly back emergency measures to ease the cost-of-living crisis for those who need the support, emergency measures will only provide relief in the short-term. They will not stop these crises from happening again.
We are launching a new campaign, Big Futures, to demand that leaders with their hands on the levers go further. We must fix the emergency whilst also addressing the root causes of the crises we face, to break the cycle of poverty for future generations.
Long term solutions are needed to meet the biggest issues faced in the UK today – the housing crisis, low wages and climate change. Dealing with these issues will help us to protect the environmental, social, economic and cultural wellbeing of future generations.
We are demanding that the government create a plan and policies to break the cycle of poverty for good. We have three demands:
1) Create decent and affordable homes for all
2) End the low-wage economy and invest in young people
3) Build a greener economy and create millions of well-paid green jobs
Young people and future generations deserve a fair shot at life. Together, we can build a better future.
Sincerely,
The Big Issue Group
Adrian Ramsay & Carla Denyer – Co-leaders of Green Party of England and Wales I Amelia Dimoldenberg I Apsana Begum MP I Baroness Hayman GBE I BaronessJones of Moulsecoomb I Baroness Mary Goudie I Baroness Sue Garden I Breakthrough Party I British Medical Association I Business Declares I Caroline Lucas MP I Carnegie UK I Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity I Chair of Homes for All UK I Claudia Webbe MP I Dan Carden MP I Faith for the Climate I Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development I Fuel Poverty Action I Glassdoor Homeless charity I Global Action Plan I GND Rising I Greener Practice I Ian Paisley MP I Intergenerational Foundation I Jack Monroe I Jane Davidson – author of #futuregen: Lessons from a Small Country I John Mcdonnell MP I John Nicolson MP I Julia Baroness Brown of Cambridge I Just Fair I Kwajo Tweneboa I Lord Andrew Stunell I Lord David Blunkett I Lord Jeffrey Archer I Lord John Shipley I Lord Martin Rees I Lord Philip Hunt I Marsha De Cordova MP I Martyn Day MP I Mohammed Yasin MP I National Education Union I Peter Aldous MP I Positive Action in Housing I Psychologists for Social Change I Rachel Maskell MP I Roman Krznaric I RSPB I Shout Out UK I Simon Birkett – founder of the cross-party Campaign for Clean Air in London I Stakeholder Forum for Sustainable Development I Steve Chalk MBE I Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) I The Body Shop I Tim Jackson, Economist I Tommy Sheppard MP I We are Possible I Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) I Wendy Chamberlain MP I Wholegrain Digital I Women’s Budget Group I Z2K I Think Productive I Kwajo Tweneboa I Lord Andrew Stunell I Lord David Blunkett I Lord Jeffrey Archer I Lord John Shipley I Lord Martin Rees I Lord Philip Hunt I Marsha De Cordova MP I Martyn Day MP I Mohammed Yasin MP I National Education Union I Peter Aldous MP I Positive Action in Housing I Psychologists for Social Change I Quaker Social Action I Rachel Maskell MP I Roman Krznaric I RSPB I Sarah Champion MP I Shout Out UK I Simon Birkett – founder of the cross-party Campaign for Clean Air in London I Stakeholder Forum for Sustainable Development I Steve Chalk MBE I Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) I Tony Lloyd I The Body Shop I Tim Jackson, Economist I Tommy Sheppard MP I Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) I Wholegrain Digital I Women’s Budget Group I Z2K