The London Problem

‘Brown’s concise, fact-filled meditation on The London Problem seeks to dispel some of the myths that motivate this antipathy’
Times Literary Supplement

‘As post-covid London faces a suddenly uncertain future, we can welcome a sensible and refreshing balancing of its weaknesses and strengths. This book’s message is clear, that Britain is about to need London’s strengths more than ever.’
Simon Jenkins

Love it, or hate it, London dominates the UK politically, economically, and culturally. For at least 200 years, critics have accused the city of sucking the lifeblood from the nation, growing in strength and wealth at the cost of other regions. So why hasn’t anything changed?

Jack Brown untangles the complex strands of anti-London rhetoric and feeling, separating hyperbole and emotion from fact and examining why successive governments have failed to redress the balance. The result is a passionate but fair analysis of a centuries-old struggle, and a vision of a future in which nation loves capital once more.

JACK BROWN is Lecturer in London Studies at King’s College London. From 2016-17, he was the first-ever Researcher in Residence at No. 10 Downing Street. Brown is the author of No. 10: The Geography of Power at Downing Street (2019) and London’s Mayor at 20: Governing a Global City in the 21st Century.

Articles by Jack, Left Foot Forward and Politics.co.uk

Listen to Jack Brown on BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week here.

Here’s a clip:

Jack Brown on BBC One, Politics London