Sir Keir Starmer was put on the spot over his mission to smash the “class ceiling” despite being a Knight of the Realm.
The Labour leader appeared on Good Morning Britain (GMB) ahead of a major speech in Gillingham later which will see him set out education reforms.
Sir Keir is expected to warn the “class ceiling” is stifling opportunity for too many children and pledge to shatter it if he wins the next general election.
But presenter Ben Shephard questioned if Sir Keir can identify with working-class children as he is a Knight of the Realm.
The GMB host said: “You come from Oxford University, you’re a barrister, you’re a Knight of the Realm – can you really identify with what working-class children are going through in state education.”
But Sir Keir insisted it is his “personal story” as he came from a working-class background but went on to become head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The Labour leader said: “Absolutely. I’m very pleased to have that as the first question because this mission we’re setting out today to smash the class ceiling and make sure where you start in life doesn’t determine where you end is in a way my personal story.
“My dad was a toolmaker, he worked in a factory all his life. My mum was a nurse until she was too ill to be able to work any more.
“We didn’t have a lot of money and so I came from a classic working-class background.
“But because of the opportunities I had through education and other things, I was able to do what all working-class families want which is to achieve the aspiration I had to in the end become the head of the CPS and now the Labour of the Labour Party.
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“So I know what aspiration feels like for working families across the country and I want every child to have that opportunity.
“At the moment still, even in 2023, too many children and young people are held back and end up with their future determined more by the earnings of their parents than their own talents. So that’s at the heart of this.”
In his speech today, Sir Keir is expected to warn the “class ceiling” is stifling opportunity for too many children across the country in terms of pay, promotions and work.
He will say: “There’s also something more pernicious. A pervasive idea, a barrier in our collective minds, that narrows our ambitions for working-class children and says, sometimes with subtlety, sometimes to your face: this isn’t for you.
“Some people call it the ‘class ceiling’ – and that’s a good name for it. It’s about economic insecurity, structural and racial injustice – of course, it is. But it’s also about a fundamental lack of respect.
“A snobbery that too often extends into adulthood. Raising its ugly head when it comes to inequalities at work – in pay, promotions, opportunities to progress.”
Sir Keir will say that one of the most important ways of shattering the class ceiling is ending the “academic/vocational divide”.
He will say: “I’m serious – the sheep and goats mentality that’s always been there in English education. The ‘academic for my kids; vocational for your kids’ snobbery. This has no place in modern society. No connection to the jobs of the future.
“No – for our children to succeed, they need a grounding in both. Need skills and knowledge. Practical problem-solving and academic rigour.
“Curiosity and a love of learning too – they’ve always been critical. But now – as the future rushes towards us. We also need a greater emphasis on creativity, on resilience, on emotional intelligence and the ability to adapt.
“On all the attributes – to put it starkly – that make us human, that distinguish us from learning machines.”
The speech will focus on the last of the five missions set by the party – a pledge to “break down barriers to opportunity”.
Conservative Cabinet minister Ms Keegan said: “Labour’s empty words are easy – delivery is difficult.
“Under Labour, we had worse standards in schools, poorer outcomes for kids, and skills training that promoted pole fitness and balloon artistry.
“Labour offers nothing but flip flop after flip flop, from tax hikes to tuition fees – showing there is no guarantee that they will even stick to their word.
“Keir Starmer’s track record shows he will have probably changed his mind by the start of the summer holidays. So there’s no way parents and teachers can rely on anything he says.”
