Fury at posturing poverty tsar
Social mobility chief who quit in protest was about to be axed
THE social mobility tsar who yesterday claimed to be resigning in protest over lack of progress had already been told he faced the axe, it emerged last night.
Ex-Labour health secretary Alan Milburn said he was quitting as chairman of the Social Mobility Commission because he had ‘little hope’ Theresa May could deliver change.
But last night it emerged that Mr Milburn – picked for the role by former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg – had been warned the Govern- ment planned to replace him. A Whitehall source said: ‘Milburn was sacked and is now having a rant on his way out the door.’
Three other commissioners, including former Conservative Cabinet minister Baroness Shephard, also quit.
Yesterday Mr Milburn gave a series of attention-grabbing interviews, accusing Mrs May of failing to deliver on her promise to tackle the ‘burning injustices’ that hold back poorer people.
However, a Government spokesman said that the departures came after Mr Milburn had been told that a new commission chairman was to be appointed to replace him, with an open application process for the role.
In his resignation letter, Mr Milburn said the preoccupation with Brexit meant the Government ‘does not have the necessary bandwidth to ensure the rhetoric of healing social division is matched with the reality’.
He added: ‘I have little hope of the current Government making the progress I believe is necessary to bring about a fairer Britain.
‘It seems unable to commit to the future of the commission as an independent body or to give due priority to the social mobility challenge facing our nation.’
Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr Milburn said that Education Secretary Justine Greening backed his reappointment for a second term in the unpaid role – but she had failed to prevail in Whitehall. ‘I have decided I am not going to re-apply for the job and frankly neither are the other three commissioners,’ he said. ‘There is only so long you can that you can go on pushing water uphill. What is lacking here is meaningful political action to translate very good words into deeds. ‘In the end what counts in politics is not what you talk about, it is what you do. ‘What is needed is really clear leadership to translate perfectly good words into actions that will make a difference.’
However, Miss Greening, who also appeared on the programme, refused to be drawn on whether she had fought for Mr Milburn’s re-appointment.
She said: ‘ He has done a fantastic job but his term had come to an end. I think it was about getting some fresh blood into the commission.’
Miss Greening denied that the Government lacked the will to tackle inequality.
‘What we are doing is a transformational series of policies across government to drive equality of opportunity,’ she said. ‘In my own area, we have set up opportunity areas working inside and outside schools in communities to improve education results. If you look at the school standards overall they are continuing to rise.’
But she said more needed to be done, adding: ‘I think there is a real problem that we need to fix.
‘Britain is not a country where we have equality of opportunity. Where you grow up affects your future far too much. This is a generational challenge.’
In her letter of resignation to Mrs May, Lady Shephard wrote: ‘I am sad to leave the commission but
‘Having a rant on his way out’
believe that this moment of change is the right time for me to do so.
‘I send you my warmest good wishes for all that you are doing in such challenging times.’ When the quango, originally named the social mobility and Child Poverty Commission, was established under the Coalition in 2012, mr milburn was picked by ministers as the chairman.
In an intervention that will raise eyebrows, Left-wing think-tank the Joseph rowntree Foundation yesterday issued a report – coinciding with mr milburn’s announced departure – stating that 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners are living in poverty than four years ago.
AS he sashayed around the television studios yesterday, Alan Milburn – the former health secretary – missed no chance to play the martyr.
He was resigning as social mobility tsar because Theresa May has – just 18 months into her premiership – failed to build ‘ a country that works for everyone’.
Yet that was not the full story. In fact, Mr Milburn had been told he would be replaced, and so launched a New Labour-style spin operation against the Government. In truth, this former Marxist – who was appointed by two public school boys, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, in a bid to prove they care – was long past his sell-by date.
His attacks on ministers for ignoring the poor rang entirely hollow, when the Conservatives have hiked the minimum wage and handed huge tax cuts to low earners. No one could fairly accuse Mrs May of not trying to make housing more affordable, with billions more pledged in last month’s Budget.
Nor did his claim of growing ‘ social division’ hold water. wage inequality is lower than in 2010, while the richest 1 per cent pay 27 per cent of all income tax.
As for education, Mrs May’s plans for a new generation of grammar schools – sadly dropped after the election – would have offered a ladder of opportunity for a great many underprivileged young people, yet it is a policy Mr Milburn viscerally opposes.
But most offensive of all was this embittered Remainer’s patronising attitude to working-class Brexit voters. He claimed they voted Leave in protest at a lack of social mobility and are now being betrayed by the Prime Minister.
In truth, a great many voted to stop the untrammelled immigration Labour did so much to encourage, which drove down their wages and put pressure on public services. To really betray them would be to keep us in the EU, a decision Mr Milburn would make in a heartbeat.
Relieved of his public duties, Mr Milburn – who privatised great swathes of the NHS – can now focus full-time on enriching himself from the private health sector.
If Mrs May wants to replace this flouncing quangocrat, she should look no further than Iain Duncan Smith, a doughty campaigner for social justice.
As for Mr Milburn, it’s good riddance!