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'Levelling up' is doubling down on the impoverishment of Britain
The Conservative government has claimed that ‘levelling up’ is central to their agenda, but even a cursory look at their policies shows they are clearly responsible for instead creating record levels of inequality, writes JON TRICKETT MP

SOCIAL MOBILITY has come to an end in Britain. According to the Sutton Trust, the chances of moving down the class structure are now greater than the chances of moving up. It breaks my heart that children born into poverty in my constituency today will likely die in poverty.

Yesterday the House of Commons debated the second reading of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that the Tories say will “reduce geographical, economic, social and health inequalities.”

The Bill is wide-reaching and includes the introduction of 12 levelling-up “missions” that will shape government policy across multiple departments. But the proposals fail to address the structural problems in our economy that are holding back the life chances of millions of people.

  • Of the 20 constituencies with the highest levels of deprivation, 95 per cent did not receive funding.
  • Of the 20 constituencies with the lowest number of “top jobs,” 65 per cent did not receive funding.
  • Of the 20 constituencies with the lowest number of NVQ4, 55 per cent did not receive funding.
  • Of the 20 constituencies with the lowest average wages, 60 per cent did not receive funding.
  • And of the 20 constituencies with the lowest social mobility according to the SM index, 70 per cent did not receive funding.
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