Lizz Truss’ ‘Most Diverse Cabinet Ever’: Monumental or Misleading?
Last week, the newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss assembled the most diverse cabinet in British history. For the first time ever, none of the so-called ‘Great Offices of State’, the four most senior posts in the government, are held by a White man. Kwasi Kwartwng is the UK’s first black Chancellor. James Cleverly, the incoming Foreign Secretary, migrated to Britain from Sierra Leone and publicly spoke about his struggles as a mixed-race man. Suella Braverman, the new Home Secretary, is of Mauritian and Kenyan heritage.
This is clearly remarkable. The British political picture looked vastly different even just a decade ago. The UK had still never had a non-white minister in any of its most senior offices. Only 4% of MPs were non-white, and 78% were male in 2010.
For many, seeing their group represented on such a high level is extraordinary. Liz Truss has been lauded for appointing a diverse cabinet and encouraging diversity at the highest level of British politics. This move could help make minorities in positions of power commonplace in our society. It might encourage more members of disadvantaged groups to pursue a career in politics or strive for the top positions in their chosen fields. It brings hope that policies passed by this government will be more representative of minority groups’ issues and viewpoints. It creates the impression that all jobs, even the country’s top posts, are available and accessible to all. British society today thus appears almost entirely meritocratic and void of sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination. Anyone can climb up the ladder if they try hard enough.
However, this argument is largely flawed. The idea that success and influence are equally achievable for all is vastly misleading. While Truss’ cabinet might be diverse in terms of ethnicity, race and gender, 70% of its members have one thing in common – they are all privately educated. In contrast, an overwhelming percentage of the population (93%) attended a state school. Furthermore, more than a third of cabinet members are Oxbridge-educated, while that number is less than 1% among the wider British public.
Despite the new cabinet being more ethnically and racially diverse, it is still exclusive and unrepresentative in terms of educational background. It includes more privately-educated members than Truss’ five predecessors’ first cabinets. There has been little progress in this field over the decades: since World War Two, all university-educated Prime Ministers attended Oxford. In addition, the number of ministers who attended fee-paying schools consistently far exceeds the percentage of the population that is privately educated.
The idea that positions of power and influence are available to all regardless of background falls far too short of the mark. It is evident that those from the upper echelons of society still hold a crucial advantage over others. This reveals the classism and exclusivism that is still so deeply embedded in British politics. While political representation of some minority groups has improved, the representation of working or even lower middle-class Britons is lamentable. Opportunities are still unequally distributed and favour those from a more privileged background.
One might expect that more diversity at the government level will lead to policies that are beneficial to minority groups that often find themselves overlooked by lawmakers. However, Truss’ very right-wing cabinet ministers are unlikely to enact such policies simply due to their ethnicity, race or gender. Suella Braverman, whose parents are immigrants, is expected to take an extremely hard stance on immigration and advocate for the controversial Rwanda policy. Thérèse Coffey, the female Health Secretary, has expressed her personal opposition to abortion and has voted against expanding abortion rights numerous times. Kemi Badenoch, the black international trade secretary, has branded the term ‘white privilege’ divisive, dangerous and illegal to teach in schools.
There is no denying the significance of where we stand today. Diversity is becoming more common in British society, including at the highest level of government. However, having such a diverse cabinet is unlikely to amount to as much as one might expect. Some groups, such as the working class, are still severely underrepresented, and others that are finally enjoying more political representation are unlikely to see major benefits in their daily lives. While Truss’ diverse cabinet is a step in the right direction, it is not a paragon of progressivism that Conservatives claim it to be.
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