The Guardian editorial cited the Sutton’s Trust’s analysis of Theresa May’s new cabinet.

Theresa May has made another bold gesture of intent by making her first trip out of London a visit to Edinburgh to meet the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. The decision not just to meet Ms Sturgeon (for only the third time), but to travel to Bute House rather than inviting her to London is another symbol of the importance with which she regards relations with the first minister, and the respect with which she plans to treat her. These are all positive omens.

Even among the extraordinary tumult of events in this extraordinary week in politics, it was striking that the new prime minister awarded the state of the union top place on her to-do list. It was striking too that she used the memorable phrase, “this precious, precious bond”, with its unmistakable Shakespearean echo to describe it. There were other, less noticed, supporting gestures. David Mundell, the Scottish secretary who has had, it would be fair to say, an almost invisible profile in England, was prominent among the friends of Mrs May touring TV studios to indicate her likely priorities on Wednesday, the day she became prime minister. Secondly, that inaugural speech from the steps of Downing Street went on to describe not only the preciousness of the bond between the component parts of the United Kingdom, but between every citizen, wherever they are; and then an equally striking commitment to govern in the interests of everyone, not the privileged few.

With more state-educated ministers than any Tory cabinet since the war, according to the Sutton Trust, Mrs May has assembled a team that looks (and sounds) less patrician and more likely to appeal beyond the metropolitan south-east of England than any for a generation or more. With the divisions of the independence referendum still sharply drawn, Mrs May clearly recognises the work she must do to sustain and expand support for what she is likely to insist on calling the Conservative and Unionist party. No wonder the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson tweeted “Tremendous statement of intent … Blue collar Conservatism is back”.

Read the full editorial here.

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