Dominic Raab: Westminster should not be stuffed with private school MPs

One in three candidates in winnable seats at the coming general election was privately educated, with one in five of them Oxbridge graduates, according to the Sutton Trust, a social mobility think tank. So how do we inject more meritocracy into our democracy?

Above all, we need state schools that are human springboards for talented youngsters, regardless of their background. After years of denial from the education establishment, Michael Gove’s reforms — emphasising academic rigour, teaching innovation and extra funding for hard-up pupils — will boost the number of high-achievers leaving state schools.

But that takes time. For those restless for change, why not let free schools in deprived communities surrounded by poorly performing schools become selective, creating a ladder of social mobility while driving up standards in neighbouring schools?

And rather than bashing public schools, let’s prise them open. The Sutton Trust piloted a scheme at Belvedere independent school in Liverpool, opening its doors to the brightest applicants, with sliding-scale fees for those from poorer homes. Far from places being gobbled up by rich kids, 70 per cent were on fee support. With government help this model could become the norm — and it needn’t cost the taxpayer a penny.

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