No 10 should have seen Alan Milburn's resignation coming

For the whole board of the Social Mobility Commission to resign with its chairman, Alan Milburn, condemning the Prime Minister’s commitment to the agenda is pretty damaging. But this attack was inevitable, for reasons that haven’t (so far) been picked up by the newspapers.

Ever since Theresa May took office, she has shown almost no interest in the Social Mobility Commission, set up under the coalition years. No10’s approach seems to have been one of strategic neglect. Alan Milburn’s five-year term came up for renewal last July: Justine Greening, the minister responsible, was keen for him to stay. But No10 refused, and asked her to come up with other names. She refused (No10’s authority is shot, so Cabinet members do engage in such acts of defiance) and Milburn stayed on in a weird limbo. No10 made clear that it didn’t want him, but couldn’t decide who it did want instead.