The Left in the UK seem to think that the UK is massively unequal and that wealth inequality especially is one of the root causes of most other social ills.
However maybe increasingly inequality has been a definite trend since neoliberalism took hold in the late 1970s, but in recent years there's been a slowing down of the widening of the gap between rich and poor.
There's also a possibility that policy decisions based on the view that income inequality is a problem could make matters worse, for everyone.
Redistribution Versus Reality
Before taxes and benefits, the richest 20 percent earn about 12 times more than the poorest. But after taxes and welfare are factored in, that gap shrinks to just a little over three times.
If we restrict ourselves to just the top and bottom 20 percent that is a huge amount of change pre tax and welfare compared to post tax and welfare.
Looked at like this, it seems that maybe we are punishing the richest 20% too much...
What this doesn't consider...
The problem with the above is that it doesn't factor in wealth, once we factor in property wealth it makes a massive difference if you're living mortgage free or if you're paying hundreds if not thousands of pounds a month in rent, the later can be 50% of your income if you're in the poorest 20%.
There's also the fact that Nordic countries do OK with a higher level of redisribution.
Final Thoughts
It is a perennial question - how much we can redistribute before people loose the drive to work and invest...?!?