ยฃ35,000 a year in the UK in 2026 puts you in the lower class.
15 years ago it was a comfortable graduate salary that bought you a decent flat, a few holidays a year, a savings habit, and the realistic prospect of a house.
Today it gives you take-home of about ยฃ2,200 a month. Rent on a one-bed in any city worth living in starts at ยฃ1,200. Council tax ยฃ170. Energy and bills ยฃ300. Food ยฃ400. Travel ยฃ200. That's ยฃ2,270, before you've bought a single thing for pleasure.
You're behind on day one of every month.
The wage hasn't moved much in real terms in 15 years. The cost of everything around it has roughly doubled.
Every wage bracket has shifted up by one rung โ the ยฃ35K that put you firmly in the middle class 15 years ago barely keeps you afloat now, and the salaries that used to count as struggling are quietly slipping into poverty.
The official conversation hasn't caught up.
Anyone calling this an 'economy that works for ordinary people' isn't talking to many ordinary people.
Hey @NintendoAmerica is this an official collaboration? This has ruined my perception of the Nintendo brand and will never be purchasing Nintendo products.