Newly elected MPs were far more likely to have attended a comprehensive school than those that were re-elected, new research has shown.
Research by the Sutton Trust showed that almost two thirds (64 per cent) of the new intake following Thursday’s General Election went through the comprehensive system, compared to 44 per cent of those who were re-elected.
But the proportion of newly elected MPs who attended independent schools stood at 28 per cent, which was only six per cent less than the figure for re-elected MPs.
Meanwhile, 48 per cent of Conservative MPs were found to have been privately educated, compared to 14 per cent of Liberal Democrats, around 5 per cent of SNP MPs, and 17 per cent of Labour MPs.
Dr Lee Elliot Major, chief executive of the Sutton Trust which was founded in 1997 to improve social mobility through education, said more still needed to be done to encourage people from state schools to pursue a career in top-level politics.
“If parliament is truly to represent the whole nation, the best people should be able to become MPs, regardless of social background,” he said.
“ Today’s figures remind us how important it is that we do more to increase levels of social mobility and make sure that bright young people from low and middle income backgrounds [with parents who could not afford to send them to independent schools] have access.”
Almost a third (32%) of MPs in the new House of Commons went to fee-paying schools, according to the research, which is far higher than the figure (7 per cent) for the general population.
Out of those MPs who were privately educated, almost one in ten went to Eton.
A record number of female MPs (191) were elected on Thursday and only a quarter of them were privately educated, compared with 35 per cent of their male colleagues.
The research was based on data compiled by the Sutton Trust and public affairs consultant Tim Carr from public sources, requests to candidates in marginal constituencies and those in seats where the previous MP was not standing again.
Table 1: Percentage breakdown of school backgrounds of MPs elected following the general election (educated in the UK)
Independent | Comprehensive | State Selective | |
ALL MPs | 32 | 49 | 19 |
Conservative | 48 | 34 | 18 |
Labour | 17 | 64 | 19 |
Lib Dem | 14 | 57 | 29 |
SNP | 5 | 90 | 5 |
OTHER | 24 | 29 | 48 |
Table 2: Percentage breakdown of school education of MPs by gender and entry to the House of Commons
Independent | Comprehensive | State Selective | |
Male | 35 | 45 | 20 |
Female | 26 | 58 | 16 |
New in 2015 | 28 | 64 | 8 |
Existing MP | 34 | 44 | 22 |
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