It’s only when your feet touch the bottom of the swamp that you can push up to the surface. By 2030 the UK could be so much better, so much more productive, fairer, cleaner, greener, healthier and more contented. Polly Toynbee and David Walker benchmark the country’s progress on that pathway. Yes, it’s a steep gradient, but the only way is up.

Political change has come. But the new Westminster government’s inheritance looks grim. We’re all in it together, the Tories used to say. But they have bequeathed sharp social divisions, vastly increased inequality, a stagnant economy and unfulfilled commitments on climate change – and all this at a time of unprecedented international tension.

The Only Way is Up gives us a ready reckoner on how to repair the damage and set the UK on the path to sustainable growth. Combining the latest data with expert analysis across health, children’s services, the economy, environment, policing and defence, Polly Toynbee and David Walker tell the story of what has gone wrong and what must now be remedied.