But the current conversation around our high streets is much more than idle chit-chat, and has an increasingly important political dimension. Closures have been most pronounced in the north of England, the Midlands and deprived coastal towns where Reform ran Labour closest at the general election.”Why do high streets matter politically? In some ways, we collectively shape the high streets we end up with. Josh is keen to stress that the hollowing out of the high street cannot be pinned on online shopping alone. What makes the decline of the high street so politically dangerous is not just the economics of it, but the speed at which it is experienced.