Is Burnham’s Oxbridge-heavy cabinet a sign of social mobility or lack of progress on class?

New Labour Cabinet Raises Questions About Access to Power: A Study in Contrasts As Labour leader Andy Burnham unveils his new cabinet, a closer look at the backgrounds of his top ministers reveals a complex picture of social mobility and privilege. While the team boasts a more diverse makeup than its predecessors, the presence of yet another Eton-educated cabinet member has sparked concerns about the enduring influence of elite schools on British politics. Meet Kanishka Narayan, the new minister for AI, who rose from humble beginnings in India to attend Oxford and later Stanford, but still embodies the rarefied world of PPE graduates. Narayan's rags-to-riches story is a testament to the power of education and social mobility, but it also highlights the limited opportunities available to those from less affluent backgrounds, even within a party that claims to champion social justice.

PM’s team can be seen as backward step even though in some ways it is more diverse. Yet its makeup points to wider access to powerRace, school, gender: the makeup of Andy Burnham’s cabinet – in chartsLike 20 British prime ministers before him, Andy Burnham’s new cabinet minister for AI, Kanishka Narayan, went to Eton. After graduating from the country’s most elite private school, Narayan attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied – what else? – PPE (politics, philosophy and economics), like David Cameron, Rishi Sunak, Ed Miliband and a host of other senior politicians. An MBA at Stanford and a career in the City followed.But Narayan’s background is hardly typical of the British ruling class. Born in Bihar in eastern India, he moved with his family to Cardiff when he was 12. He and his younger brother were sleeping on the floor of their one-bedroom home when a teacher at his local high school suggested the bright young boy apply for some private schools. His parents, who had joined the Labour party almost as soon as they arrived in Wales, ran a petrol station. Eton was possible only thanks to a full scholarship. Continue reading...