Why does Oxford not Cambridge dominate British politics?

Given Oxford’s well-known reputation as the nursery for Britain’s political elite, it’s no surprise to find two governmental grandees currently battling it out to become the university’s next chancellor. Frankly, though, with due respect to their accomplishments in public office, Peter Mandelson and William Hague probably wouldn’t even make it into the Premier League of Oxford’s political alumni as things stand. Being a former Labour Business Secretary or an erstwhile Leader of the Opposition is all very impressive, but there’s an awful lot of retired top dogs above them in the pecking order.

The extraordinary fact is, 14 of the last 19 prime ministers have graduated from Oxford. With one exception (Gordon Brown, University of Edinburgh), every prime minister since Stanley Baldwin left office in 1937 who attended university has been Oxford-educated, including (as a graduate student) the latest incumbent, Keir Starmer.