Theresa May criticised over rise in privately-educated Cabinet members following reshuffle
3 min read
Theresa May hailed the injection of "fresh talent" into her government following the New Year reshuffle - but was immediately criticised for a rise in privately-educated Cabinet ministers.
The Prime Minister finally completed her shake-up of her frontbench with the appointment of six women to the whips' office.
Mrs May said her new-look government now "looks more like the country it serves" following the promotion of a raft of female and ethnic minority MPs.
But analysis of the Cabinet by social mobility campaigners the Sutton Trust revealed that the proportion of those who went to private school has risen from 30% to 34%, while the proportion who went to comprehensives fell from 44% to 41%.
In addition, the proportion who went to selective state schools also fell from 26% to 24%, while 48% went to either Oxford or Cambridge University, up from 44% previously.
Overall, Cabinet ministers are five times more likely to have gone to a fee-paying school, compared to the general population.
Labour MP Karen Lee said: "This is a government which does not look like the country it represents and whose actions favour a wealthy elite. Millionaires have been given tax cuts while the majority are worse off; the NHS we rely on has been plunged into crisis; and schools and children’s services have been slashed.
"Theresa May claims she wants a Britain that works for everyone but her actions tell a different story. The Tories remain the party of and for the few."
But reflecting on her reshuffle, the Prime Minister said: "This government is about building a country fit for the future – one that truly works for everyone with a stronger economy and a fairer society.
"This reshuffle helps us do just that by bringing fresh talent into government, boosting delivery in key policy areas like housing, health and social care, and ensuring the Government looks more like the country it serves.
"It also allows a new generation of gifted ministers to step up and make life better for people across the whole UK."
Mrs May put the finishing touches to her reshuffle with a string of junior ministerial changes. They followed yesterday's chaotic Cabinet shake-up, which saw Jeremy Hunt refuse to move from health, and Justine Greening quit after being told she was being moved from education to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Among those who were moved today included universities minister Jo Johnson, who has gone to transport, and Rory Stewart who was moved from the Foreign Office to the Ministry of Justice.
Mark Garnier - who was cleared of breaking the ministerial code last month for once asking his assistant to buy sex toys - was sacked, while veteran MPs John Hayes, Robert Goodwill and Philip Dunne also left government.
Among the women who were promoted was Suella Fernandes, who moves from the backbenches to the Department for Exiting the EU. Other women on the move were Margot James and Caroline Dineage.
The raft of new female whips include Kelly Tolhurst, Mims Davies, Nusrat Ghani and Jo Churchill.
Keep up to date with all the New Year reshuffle moves as they happen on our live grid.
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