- 50% of civil service bosses, 52% of special advisers and 46%
of the House of Lords were educated in London and the South East.
- Just 17% of Lords and permanent secretaries were educated in
the whole north of England.
- A privately educated person in London and the South East is
24 times more likely to become a permanent secretary and 23 times
more likely to become a Lord than a state school pupil in the
north of England.
New research out today reveals half of all top government
officials were educated in London and the South East, while
almost a third went to private schools in those regions.
Ahead of the creation of Andy Burnham's Number 10 North, analysis
by the Sutton Trust shows that key roles making decisions that
affect all our lives are dominated by people who grew up in
London and the South East.
This includes 50% of permanent secretaries, and 52% of special
advisers. Overall, 42% of senior civil servants, diplomats and
public body CEOs were educated in London and the South East, and
23% of them attended private schools in these regions.
This is completely unbalanced and unrepresentative of the nation
as a whole. Only 28% of the UK's population is educated in London
and the South East, while less than 3% of the total population is
educated privately in these regions.
Northern regions are particularly underrepresented among these
top governing roles. Just 17% of permanent secretaries and Lords
were educated in the whole north of England.
The House of Lords stands out for being unrepresentative of the
population as a whole. Almost half (46%) were educated in London
the South East, and 31% attended private schools in these
regions.
In contrast, there's a much more even spread of regional
representation in the House of Commons. 15% of MPs were educated
in London and a further 14% were educated in the South East. 13%
were educated in the North West.
These results mean someone attending a private school in London
and the South East is 24 times more likely to become a Permanent
Secretary, and 23 times more likely to become a Lord, than
someone attending a state school in the north of England.
The Sutton Trust is calling for public services, and all
employers with over 250 staff, to report on the socio-economic
background of their workforce, and encourage reporting of class
pay gaps. This would enable a better understanding of the make-up
of their workforce to identify and tackle access and progression
gaps.
To widen the talent pool of applicants to public roles, the
education achievements of job candidates should be considered in
the context of disadvantage, including attendance at
underperforming schools and coming from deprived neighbourhoods.
This will help build a pipeline of leaders that better reflects
the experiences of society more broadly.
And as well as taking steps to improve education outcomes across
the UK, cross-government economic policy should be focused on
spreading opportunity across the country. This should potentially
include greater devolution of powers, reforms to local government
funding, as well as investment in transport and infrastructure.
Commenting, Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust,
said:
We talk about the Westminster bubble. These figures suggest it's
not just a political bubble, but a geographical one too. Talent
is spread right across the country, but the pathway into
Britain's most powerful public roles clearly isn't.
This is not just about fairness. Public institutions are stronger
when they reflect the experiences and perspectives of the people
they serve. If we want to rebuild trust in those institutions and
make better decisions, we need to widen access to the most senior
roles, remove barriers to progression, and ensure opportunity
isn't determined by your postcode or your parents' income.
Perhaps Number 10 North can be the start of changing this.'
Ends
Notes to Editors:
- This new analysis builds on the Sutton Trust's Elitist Britain 2025
report, which explored the educational backgrounds of leading
figures across the world of politics, media, business, charity,
sport, creative and public sectors.
- New analysis was conducted on where Britain's elite grew up,
as measured by where they attended secondary school. Those
educated abroad are excluded.
- For permanent secretaries', regional data was available for
68% of those educated in Britain who featured in the Sutton
Trust's Elitist Britain 2025. For Spads, data for 52% of the
sample was available.
- In Elitist Britain 2025, 47% of permanent secretaries
attended an independent school, while 29% attended a state
comprehensive. For special advisers, 20% attended an independent
and 55% attended a state comprehensive. 52% of Lords attended an
independent school and 23% attended a state comprehensive.
- These findings prelude a future update to Elitist Britain
2025, including regional breakdowns of data across multiple
professions.
