Letters | 5 February 2011

The route to Westminster

Sir: Andrew Neil is admirably fair in his article on the over-representation of Oxbridge types and the privately educated in both the Labour and Conservative parties (‘The fall of the meritocracy’, 29 January). In my view, this even-handedness is a missed opportunity, as it is surely more to the discredit of the Labour party, which allegedly represents the common man. Yet the evidence suggests that for a state-educated person from a humble background, it would be very difficult to make a career as a Labour politician, whereas it would be by no means impossible in the Conservative party. While most of the ‘People’s Party’ may not actually have been to Eton, they are very solidly upper-middle-class and include a shadow cabinet minister who is directly related to aristocracy and an MP who employs his own butler. Labour activists have been very vociferous about Tory toffs. It is high time we heard a great deal more about Labour toffs.