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As the existentially challenged Tories gathers in Manchester for its annual party conference, it has plenty to consider regarding its path forward. There is uncertainty if a road forward is available. We are in tough times for a political party that now has little, if anything, new or unique to say to the public.

The Missed Opportunity

It could have been so different if tangible progress had been made on an policy focus that resonates with people across the country: Social mobility. But Boris Johnson’s government hadn’t got the basic understanding on how to convert his zeitgeisty rhetoric on levelling up into actual implementation. Over twenty-four months after the 2019 election, it debated what the concept actually signified.

I was perplexed, because I had previously explained to the Prime Minister what social mobility entailed when we initially discussed about it during the contest for party leader. This terminology was a concept I originated and used at the education ministry to talk about equal opportunity. It was our departmental mantra, and its meaning is straightforward: social mobility is the approach by which we realize fair chances – not by taking chances away from those who are already advantaged, but rather by extending opportunities to those that are without.

Essential Principle

Another crucial education department term we used, “talent is spread evenly throughout the nation, however access isn’t”, served as a purposeful phrase, representing the two parts of a social mobility strategy. First, ability distributed uniformly but not cultivated evenly through our learning institutions. Furthermore, access not provided uniformly by the private sector or our economic system. Thus, learning and employment were key to achieving stronger social mobility. This was an priority about the social fabric of our country – fostering individual capabilities and connecting them to opportunities.

The Reality of Implementation

How did the social mobility agenda evolve into under the Tory administration? Regional development money overseen from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Hanging baskets and rearranged intersections. A white paper was launched nearly three years after the leadership change, which saw ongoing initiatives rebadged under the fresh social mobility slogan.

Therefore, a broader social mobility agenda went unpursued, as well as all the improvement that it may have generated – in capital, commerce, economic policy, revenue and in place-making. Moreover, in education, including a higher education sector that has become a scapegoat for elected officials – despite the fact that it remains the strongest driver of social mobility for individuals from less privileged homes, including myself, this country has had throughout modern times. Possibly the primary source of equal opportunity, operating at scale.

The Importance of Aspiration

Aspiration is essential for our country to thrive. For hope to exist, there needs to be a believable feeling that effort and reward are linked; that if people dream big, they can attain. For all administrations, being able to foster a outlook of positivity about the tomorrow is critical. Analysis by the Institute for Policy Research at the university and others, recently released, showed that the ministry’s focus zones I established during my tenure – place-based approaches to boosting academic achievement – led to youth in those neighborhoods being up to nearly one-fifth more optimistic about their life ahead than those in equivalent locations without these programmes in place. The research confirms: just making an sincere effort on equal chance initiatives can rapidly and effectively change how people perceive their destiny.

Missed Opportunities

Ignoring this evidence, and in the midst of its post-Johnson leadership contest, in September 2022, the Tory administration terminated the programmes. Why would anyone in those areas vote for a political group that made that decision? This specific initiative is a single instance of what could have been a transformative administration strategy on social mobility, but that opportunity was totally misused. Methods such as this can create belief and drive. In contrast, as the Conservatives learned, reneging on commitments of equal opportunity is the costliest mistake any political party can make. The public punished the administration for its ineffectiveness but, above all, for its broken promises on equal opportunity.

Present Circumstances

At present the mandate on life chances and fair access has been transferred to a new administration. The levelling up rhetoric has been cast off. Labour has its own policy language of “breaking down the barriers to opportunity”. The political group that is increasingly displacing the hapless Tories, the alternative party, also has its own terminology – “industrial revival”. This expression to talk about new opportunities in communities like the one I grew up in, in the region. It suggests that an former economic strength can be reborn into an revitalized economy.

For voters, it must appear as a Groundhog Day-style loop. Same issue, different language. But – as yet – no results.

The Way Forward

Whether the government and opposition want to prevent the identical outcome, each group should learn from the previous government’s errors on levelling up; that equal opportunity talk is simple terminology, but actual achievement of more equal results is much harder. Britain’s chronically poor equal opportunity remains the central problem for our country, with youth unable to get a proper professional launch, those working hard in employment with few results after the rent has been paid, and citizens throughout the UK without any real hope their children will be able to do any better in life than they have.

Politicians can talk about equal chances repeatedly. But where is the political group that has the comprehensive policy agenda on life chances? None appear to exist. Whichever party succeeds initially, prevails. Not only for their organization, but, significantly, for a whole country that has never needed equality of opportunity so urgently.