Aaron Bastani wants a radical clean-up on the streets of Britain, saying small businesses have suffered as a result of the scourge of litter and graffiti.
The Novara Media co-founder accused the Tories and Labour of failing to set out their stalls on the matter.
Speaking on GB News, he addressed a recent post he made to X about Waterlooville, in Hampshire.
He said “economic malaise” has made high streets “look like a zombie film” in many cases as politicians in London “live in a parallel universe”.
Aaron Bastani has blasted Britain's litter crisis
GETTY / GB NEWS
Bastani told Michelle Dewberry that it should be a key matter for politicians in the lead up to the general election.
“It’s appalling”, he said.
Aaron Bastani says the housing crisis has contributed to the issue
GB NEWS
Many bins are filled to the brim
GETTY
“High street businesses, particularly owned by families, have collapsed.
“They’ve been killed by the internet, by these giant out of town stores. Of course we like convenience but go to other countries.
“Go to Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, it’s not this bad.
“We really have let down small businesses in this country and on that particular point, I hear nothing from either the Tories or the Labour Party.”
Bastani said the housing crisis plays a role in Britain’s messy streets, with many more to an address than ever before.
“We have a house building mechanism with is turn a house into five or six bed sits.
“You can have a street of these where ten years ago, you’d have five of these on a street.
“You have five to six people living in one house. They can all be good as gold but one can be bad right now. Think of the fly-tipping, think of the rubbish outside ones not taking the bin in.
“That is the Government’s housing policy and it feeds into a general sense of decay and malaise.”