When the UK Conservative Party won the election in 2010, they took a butcher's knife to the budget. David Cameron's money-man George Osborne — the young heir to a wallpaper fortune — had a big plan called "austerity," but it put the country on a journey to total chaos. This is the first episode in a four-part series called Who Broke Britain. It's about the past 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, all the way up to the general election that's happening next month. London was once the largest city on Earth — capital of a global empire larger than any other in the history of the world. Even as recently as 17 years ago, Britons were the richest people in any of the world's large economies. Since then, they've gone backwards, more than any other large economy. Britain feels broken. So, who broke it? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3IhkTK9-xs