Politicians talk about “growth” as if it were the answer to every problem, but the growth they obsess over has nothing to do with your life, your community, or your wellbeing. It’s a narrow, financial measure that can rise even as public services collapse, inequality deepens, and people become poorer in real terms. This piece explores what political growth really is, why leaders cling to it, and why Britain must now confront the limits of a system that can no longer pretend to be working.