Born to rule: the making and remaking of the British elite
Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman, Harvard UP, £20

THIS study of Britain’s ruling class is based on an analysis of the 125,000 entrants in Who’s Who since 1897. The two authors, professors of sociology at Oxford and the LSE,  ask, “Who really rules Britain today? Unsurprisingly, the answer is a very small number – about 6,000 individuals... 0.01 percent of the UK population.” This is the real ruling class.

Within the wider British elite of some 33,000 people sits a wealth elite of around 6,000 people. The wealth elite are in Who’s Who, and they are also in the top 1 per cent of the national wealth distribution. They are 20 times more likely to reach the ruling class than other people. 

The authors examine how the propulsive power of family wealth, elite private schools, and Oxbridge ensures that those born into the top 1 per cent are still just as likely to get into that tiny group today as they were 125 years ago: “The main picture our results paint, spanning 125 years of elite recruitment, is one of powerful continuity.”