The changing class and educational composition of the UK political elite since 1945: implications for representation

Abstract

Debates over the changing nature of the UK political elite have focused on questions of representation and the extent of class convergence between the leaderships of the Conservative and Labour parties. We present a new comprehensive survey of the class and educational composition of the membership of Conservative and Labour cabinets and shadow cabinets since 1945. Some convergence in the class composition of the leaderships is apparent, but intra-class differences in terms of sector and occupation point to persisting differences in adult experience in profit-making versus public/third sector organisations and in technical versus sociocultural professions. Educationally, there is a decline in the Conservative leadership in the numbers coming from elite private schools but not from private schools in general, and attendance at elite universities remains more common on the Conservative side. Changes in the class origins and previous employment of the Conservative leadership do not suggest any weakening in the party’s capacity to represent business interests. In contrast, while there has been no decline in the proportion of the Labour leadership from working-class origins, there has been an almost complete disappearance of those with adult experience of working-class life.