Lock, stock and double barrels
In Rebecca Long Bailey, who sometimes hyphenates her name and sometimes doesn’t, the Labour party may soon have a leader with a double-barrelled surname.
Is such a name still an indication of elevated social class?
— According to an Opinium poll in 2017, 11 per cent of couples now use a double-barrelled name on marriage.
— The changing social connotations of double-barrelled surnames can be seen in the England football squad. Three of the 24 current members listed by the FA have double-barrelled names.
— By contrast, none of the 23 members of the Conservative cabinet does, although the wider body of 33 ministers attending cabinet includes Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Growth chart
The 2010s were a remarkable decade in that the UK did not spend any of it in recession, defined as two quarters of negative growth. When did that last happen?
| 2000s | 5 quarters in recession in 2008/09 |
| 1990s | 5 quarters in 1990/91 |
| 1980s | 5 quarters in 1980/81 |
| 1970s | 5 quarters, 3 in 1973 and 2 in 1975 |
| 1960s | 2 quarters in 1961 |
| 1950s | 2 quarters in 1956 |
| 1940s | No recession measured, but wartime conditions. |
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