We need to get more working-class kids into business & politics

Britain is at its best when it’s fair. But the opportunities available to kids and young adults from well to do families aren’t there for kids from working class backgrounds.

I should know, because I was one of those kids. My parents didn’t know people who’d been to university. They didn’t know people who worked in offices. When our local MP was spotted at the top of the street mum ran out like he was a local celebrity.

People made fun of me at university for the way I spoke and were shocked when I couldn’t get a job after because mum and dad didn’t know anyone down in London.

For too long the doors of business and politics have been closed to young adults from these backgrounds.

I want them open.

Let’s stop nepotism in politics and journalism.
Let’s better understand how many people from working class backgrounds are in our biggest companies. What gets measured matters.
And let’s work with businesses to get young people from underrepresented backgrounds into good jobs – just like I’m doing with Circl.

As a founding Board Member of Circl I’ve worked hard to help get 500 young people from these backgrounds into companies from Facebook to Uber.