Sutton Trust response to Labour’s Opportunity Mission pre-speech announcement

Commenting on Labour’s preview of Keir Starmer’s Opportunity Mission speech, Sir Peter Lampl, Founder and Chairman of the Sutton Trust and Chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

“Keir Starmer’s commitment to shatter the class ceiling is essential for both fairness and prosperity. For too long, young people in this country have been held back by longstanding educational inequalities that have widened more recently as a result of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. But there is also an underlying bias in British society, with those in positions of power and influence overwhelmingly from privileged backgrounds.

“The next government needs to put social mobility at the heart of its agenda, not just to ensure all young people have a fair chance to succeed in life, but also to make the most of our talent to drive sustained economic growth.

“Labour are making all the right noises and some of the policies they have announced so far are a step in the right direction – including a focus on life skills, improving the skills businesses need and especially strengthening the teaching profession. But turning the tide on social mobility will take time and substantial investment. We need a national strategy to close the attainment gap and a set of evidence-based policies to remove barriers and create opportunities for young people.”

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