Bridget Phillipson Establishes 'Class Unit' as Social Mobility Commission Advisers Depart

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has overseen the establishment of a new 'class unit' within the government, a development intended to bring efforts to tackle disadvantage and boost social mobility 'in-house'. This organisational restructuring comes as the entire advisory arm of the Social Mobility Commission has been disbanded.

Phillipson stated that the new unit would leverage 'the breadth of expertise' from various government departments to integrate social mobility considerations into policy development more effectively. Critics, however, may view this as an attempt to centralise control and potentially dilute independent scrutiny of government initiatives on social mobility.

The Social Mobility Commission, originally conceived as an independent body to monitor and report on social mobility in the UK, has frequently published research highlighting persistent inequalities across education, employment, and regional opportunity. The dissolution of its advisory group raises questions about the future of independent oversight in this critical policy area.

This reorganisation signals a direct ministerial approach to an issue that has traditionally involved external expertise and independent assessment, aligning more closely with the government's direct policy agenda.