It matters individually because it leads to stress, low self-esteem, poorly managed finances and decreased social mobility.
It matters educationally - to compete in the modern world Mathematics is vital. The UK is only 18th out of 35 countries listed in the 2018 table of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmentās PISA mathematical rating.
It matters nationally because it has a profound impact upon the UK economy and affects businesses who have to pay large sums to train their key staff to tackle maths.