I'm a Londoner, I used to have this friend (who is not a Londoner) we had a huge disagreement on topic unspecified. But after I've watched this video I think I see his viewpoint, which is true. I just don't see it at all because there's such a enormous disconnect between London and the rest of the country.
I would recommend you to watch the video as well, some arguments made in the video are slightly misleading, but the general picture is clear and true.
I mean it's worth remembering that some of the poorest areas in the country are in London. https://citymonitor.ai/community/uk-census-tower-hamlets-has-the-worst-child-poverty-rates-in-the-uk
Basically, the government doesn't give a shit about poor people regardless of where they live. They just want to ensure that hedge fund managers living in Surrey can commute into their London office with a minimum of inconvenience.
Yeah, even London isn’t all that. It’s more like a third world country bolted onto the Square Mile, and the same thing is now happening to Ireland.