Being middle class once meant being relaxed about the small comforts in life. But now there seems to be “sticker shock” wherever you turn. A single cup of coffee can easily cost £5 at a motorway service station. A Telegraph columnist lamented how a meal for four at Wagamama, without alcohol, set him back more than £100. And a half chicken with two side dishes at Nando’s, a restaurant generally seen as a budget option, now costs £15.20.
Eating out is far from the only problem. Many middle-class people feel their standard of living has been squeezed in recent years by higher prices, taxes and mortgage rates, and that their wages have not kept up.
The rich will always be fine; the poor have government programmes designed to help them. The middle classes can sometimes feel neglected, under-appreciated and under pressure, as well as the likeliest targets for any tax raid.