School reforms will bring real social mobility

Labour is right to want to do more to bring working class children into the professions. It is undeniable that middle-class children derive a considerable advantage from the social capital of their parents and the fact that their families can support them in low-paying or unpaid internships. Schemes that can offer those from deprived backgrounds access to these social networks should be welcomed; Chris Grayling is quite wrong to call it ‘class war’ and is playing into the worst perceptions of the party by doing so.

But far more important to making Britain a more meritocratic country is school reform; making a good education available to everyone will do far more for social mobility than these schemes, however worthy they are. On that front, there is no doubt that the bold reforms proposed by Michael Gove will do more than Labour’s tinkering with the current system.