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Britain is still “deeply elitist”, according to a study of the background of 4,000 law, media and political leaders in UK public life.
Elitist Britain?, published by the Commission on Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission in August, highlighted a “dramatic over-representation” of those educated at independent schools and Oxbridge, “so stark that it could be called social engineering”.
The judiciary topped the elite list: 71% of senior judges attended independent schools (compared to 7% of the public as a whole) – and 75% attended Oxford or Cambridge (compared to 1% of the public). Only 4% of 150 senior judges went to comprehensive school – the lowest figure for all groups. Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, told UKSC Blog in September that although representation will improve over time, “it will be too slow unless we do something to make it happen”.
He supported the idea of a “career judiciary” with a potential fast-track for people with dependents who needed more regular hours and where reasonable holidays can more easily be taken: an option also favoured by former Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge.
“An individual could enter it at, say, the age of thirty-five as a junior tribunal member or possibly a district judge and work their way up [but] it’s a very difficult exercise because it’s important to make sure others coming from a more traditional career aren’t then overlooked,” Lord Neuberger said. Meanwhile, the Bar Council’s social mobility strategy is focused on tackling the three largest barriers to fair access to the profession – cash, contact and confidence. Writing in Counsel, Social Mobility Committee Chair Taryn Lee QC said the Bar has “a long history of professionalism, tradition and custom, so naturally a particular culture will have arisen” but “if you believe, as we do, that we need to create a Bar of all and for all, then we all have a responsibility to ensure that background is no barrier” (August p 10).
The judiciary topped the elite list: 71% of senior judges attended independent schools (compared to 7% of the public as a whole) – and 75% attended Oxford or Cambridge (compared to 1% of the public). Only 4% of 150 senior judges went to comprehensive school – the lowest figure for all groups. Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, told UKSC Blog in September that although representation will improve over time, “it will be too slow unless we do something to make it happen”.
He supported the idea of a “career judiciary” with a potential fast-track for people with dependents who needed more regular hours and where reasonable holidays can more easily be taken: an option also favoured by former Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge.
“An individual could enter it at, say, the age of thirty-five as a junior tribunal member or possibly a district judge and work their way up [but] it’s a very difficult exercise because it’s important to make sure others coming from a more traditional career aren’t then overlooked,” Lord Neuberger said. Meanwhile, the Bar Council’s social mobility strategy is focused on tackling the three largest barriers to fair access to the profession – cash, contact and confidence. Writing in Counsel, Social Mobility Committee Chair Taryn Lee QC said the Bar has “a long history of professionalism, tradition and custom, so naturally a particular culture will have arisen” but “if you believe, as we do, that we need to create a Bar of all and for all, then we all have a responsibility to ensure that background is no barrier” (August p 10).
Britain is still “deeply elitist”, according to a study of the background of 4,000 law, media and political leaders in UK public life.
Elitist Britain?, published by the Commission on Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission in August, highlighted a “dramatic over-representation” of those educated at independent schools and Oxbridge, “so stark that it could be called social engineering”.
The Bar Council will press for investment in justice at party conferences, the Chancellor’s Budget and Spending Review
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