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As the beleaguered Conservative party convenes in its conference city for its yearly gathering, it has much to ponder regarding its path forward. Doubt remains if a clear direction exists at all. We are in tough times for a political party that now has almost nothing, if anything, fresh or distinctive to say to the electorate.

An Alternate Reality

The situation might have been markedly improved if tangible progress had been made on an agenda that is important for people nationwide: Social mobility. Yet Boris Johnson’s government lacked the first clue on how to transform the trendy talk on social mobility into policy reality. During the initial period after the general election, it argued over what the concept actually signified.

It seemed strange to me, because I’d already told Johnson what levelling up meant when we initially discussed about it during his leadership campaign. This terminology was a term I developed and used at the Department for Education to talk about equal opportunity. It was our core mission, and its definition is straightforward: social mobility is the approach by which we attain equal access – not through reducing opportunity away from those who are already advantaged, but rather by expanding options to those that lack them.

The Core Concept

An additional vital DfE phrase we used, “potential is equally shared around the UK, however access isn’t”, again was a intentional wording, reflecting the dual components of a social mobility strategy. To begin with, potential shared equally but not cultivated evenly through our education system. Additionally, opportunities not spread evenly by employers or our market. As a result, schools and companies were essential to achieving improved equality of opportunity. This represented an agenda about the societal structure of our country – investing in individual capabilities and linking them with chances.

What Levelling Up Became

How did the social mobility agenda evolve into under the previous government? A towns fund administered out of the the relevant ministry. Hanging baskets and reconfigured roundabouts and roads. A white paper was launched a significant period after the Prime Minister took office, which saw existing policy approaches rebadged under the new levelling up banner.

As a result, a comprehensive equal opportunity plan went undeveloped, as well as all the change that it could have inspired – in capital, business, fiscal strategy, revenue and in community development. Additionally, in learning, including a tertiary education that has become a target for politicians of all stripes – even though it remains the most powerful engine of life improvement for youth from modest backgrounds, like me, this country has had in recent decades. Perhaps the primary source of social mobility, functioning widely.

The Role of Ambition

Hope is essential for our country to succeed. For hope to exist, there needs to be a credible sense that dedication and outcome are linked; that if people aspire, they can succeed. For political leadership, being able to create a sense of optimism about the tomorrow is crucial. Analysis by the research body at the academic establishment and others, recently released, showed that the ministry’s focus zones I established during my tenure – locally targeted strategies to improving education outcomes – led to young people in those communities being up to a significant margin more positive about their life ahead than those in similar areas without these schemes in place. The evidence is clear: just making an genuine beginning on fair opportunity strategies can swiftly and beneficially change how people view their prospects.

Lost Potential

Oblivious to this, and in the throes of its post-Johnson leadership contest, in autumn 2022, the ruling party ended the initiatives. What reason would someone in those areas vote for a party that took that action? The targeted programme is one example of what could have been a game-changing Tory policy platform on levelling up, but that chance was totally misused. Strategies such as this can create belief and drive. In contrast, as the Conservatives discovered, breaking the promise of social mobility is the costliest mistake any political party can make. Voters held accountable the government for its failure but, primarily, for its failed pledges on social mobility.

The Current Landscape

Currently the baton on life chances and equality of opportunity has passed to a opposition party. The previous terminology has been abandoned. The new government has its own political rhetoric of “eliminating hurdles to advancement”. The political group that is steadily supplanting the failing Conservative party, Reform UK, also has its own message – “industrial revival”. The terminology to talk about new opportunities in communities like the one I come from, in South Yorkshire. It promises that an industrial past can be reborn into an industrial future.

To the electorate, it must appear as a déjà vu experience. Same issue, different language. However, so far, no progress.

The Way Forward

Should the current and alternative parties want to prevent the identical outcome, the respective organizations should learn from the Tories’ mistakes on social mobility; that social mobility rhetoric is one thing, but successful delivery of more equal results is far more challenging. Britain’s chronically poor social mobility remains the key issue for our country, with youth unable to get a good job beginning, those putting in effort in employment with few results after the housing costs are covered, and citizens throughout the UK without any genuine belief their offspring will be able to do advance in life than they have.

Leaders can mention fairer opportunities as much as they want. However, which party has the party that has the comprehensive policy agenda on life chances? None appear to exist. Whoever gets there first, succeeds. Not just for themselves, but, significantly, for a whole country that has urgently needs equality of opportunity so badly.