In December 1967, five young typists in an office in Surbiton decided to work an extra half an hour unpaid each day to help Britain’s struggling economy. Within days, their “I’m backing Britain” campaign snowballed. More workers joined in, badges were made and Bruce Forsyth recorded a single. An editorial in the Financial Times called the campaign “a beacon of light in an otherwise dismal economic and industrial prospect” and commended its spirit if not its economic logic.
The campaign fizzled out after a few months, but the notion that Britain would be better off if people worked harder has not gone away. In a book in 2012 called Britannia Unchained, five Conservative MPs revived the argument. “Once they enter the workplace, the British are among the worst idlers in the world,” the book says. “We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and our productivity is poor. Whereas Indian children aspire to be doctors or businessmen, the British are more interested in football and pop music.”
Given that two of the book’s authors, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, are now the country’s prime minister and chancellor respectively, it is worth revisiting this characterisation of the workforce. Is there any truth to it? Yes and no.