For an idea of what private equity ownership can mean for ordinary people, UK supermarkets are a good place to start. Both Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd. and Asda have been laboring lately under giant debt burdens put on their shoulders by the financiers who bought them in 2021.

With the cost of servicing all that debt beginning to spiral, it’s not only the owners who have cause to worry. British lawmakers have hauled in Asda’s backers, including one of the tycoon Issa brothers and PE firm…