David Johnston and social mobility

For some time now, I’ve been involved in the Social Mobility Foundation, whose interns we take at The Spectator (and who were at our summer party last week). It has been run by David Johnston, who has stood down after ten years. What he has achieved at the SMF has been nothing short of extraordinary. The idea was that it takes bright teenagers who qualify for free school meals, and help them with internships – and other forms of support – to give them more of the opportunities available to wealthier families. When this all started, it was against the grain: a great many employers couldn’t see what was wrong with giving internships to their friends and family. But anyone who has benefited from an internship (myself included) knows their life-changing potential, and the SMF sought to build a coalition of the willing. It sought, and still seeks, companies willing to take its brilliant teenage interns.