London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Britain has an education problem. Lawmakers from Boris Johnson's party are trying to make it about 'White privilege'

Britain has an education problem. Lawmakers from Boris Johnson's party are trying to make it about 'White privilege'

Lawmakers from the UK's governing Conservative party are being accused of weaponizing inequalities in the country's education system to stoke a culture war.

The House of Commons education committee published a report on Tuesday entitled: "The forgotten: how White working-class pupils have been let down, and how to change it."

The document claims that the prevalence of the term "White privilege" in "the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests" may have contributed towards a "systemic neglect of White people facing hardship."

Only the Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) on the committee backed the full version of the report -- it was not supported by opposition Labour party MPs.

It highlights data showing that poor children from White British backgrounds achieve worse grades proportionately when compared to poor children from almost any other background.

However, it is worth noting that data published by the government in April of this year shows that White pupils across all socio-economic groups outperform Black and Pakistani pupils on the whole.

Kim Johnson, a Labour MP on the committee, told CNN that the report was a "missed opportunity to bolster opportunities for so-called left behind communities -- such as the ones I represent -- who are suffering from educational inequalities due to rocketing child poverty and a lack of investment in jobs and opportunities."

Critics have also been quick to point out that Conservative spending cuts over the past decade in government will likely have had a much bigger impact on the poorest children and hampered their educational opportunities.

Many in the Labour party believe that the Conservatives are attempting to use the culture wars currently blighting British politics as a way of appealing to White working-class former Labour-supporting communities who supported Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the 2019 general election. Many of these areas also voted heavily in favor of Brexit.

Diane Abbott, a Labour MP who in 1987 became the first Black woman elected to parliament, told CNN that she believes that presenting the issue of children falling behind in school as being linked to ethnicity rather than social opportunities and class is dangerous and divisive.

"It's almost as if these Conservatives are saying to White working-class parents that they should be worried about children from different backgrounds affecting their own child's education," she said.

Responding to criticism of the report, Conservative MP and chair of the education committee, Robert Halfon, told CNN that it is "an attempt to grapple with the fact that 900,000 plus disadvantaged White working-class pupils are doing worse than almost every other ethnic group at every stage in the education system."

Halfon added, on the criticism of the report's focus on race, that: "We can't sweep these things under the carpet because there they are too difficult to discuss."

While it is true that White working-class children are underperforming compared to children from most other ethnic backgrounds, policy experts say that this is more to do with a lack of educational opportunity for children who are born in poorer areas of the UK.

Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Foundation, says the "truth is that unfortunately there is an entrenched and unbroken correlation between social class and educational attainment."

According to Milburn's research, children from poorer areas are over 20 times more likely to go to a bad school compared to their contemporaries in wealthier areas.

Milburn believes that the only way to fix this is through firm policy aimed at redistributing facilities. "Clearly, the challenges facing a teacher in an inner-city school are different to those of a teacher in a leafy, wealthy suburb. Unfortunately, collective salary bartering means that we cannot address this in wages and encourage top teachers to work in more challenging areas. That needs to change. The best teachers should be paid more to teach in the toughest schools."

While Milburn says that data surrounding White British children falling behind is undeniable, "trying to fix problems for one particular cohort when ethnicity isn't the primary hindrance for these pupils doesn't seem a sensible approach."

Kate Green, Labour's shadow education secretary, said that the Conservative party had "turned its back on these pupils who need most support, from knowingly underfunded free childcare places in early years to cutting the pupil premium," a grant given directly to schools to aid the teaching of poor children.

While this report is not government policy, but a report from a committee of MPs, it is noteworthy that the report was only signed by Conservatives, as it does follow a familiar pattern of Conservative rhetoric since the 2019 election victory.

Johnson and his party have placed "leveling up" the poorest parts of the UK at the heart of their domestic agenda. However, when certain policies around sensitive issues are announced, such as voter ID or prison sentences for vandalizing statues of colonialists, there is often something in the detail that seems tailored to wind up their opponents.

It could be that this report is simply an extension of the new style of Conservative policy-making: the substance might ultimately be of practical benefit, but the argument around it has political appeal to the new group of voters who propelled Johnson to power in 2019.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×