Why it’s better to be poor in England than in Scotland

Myths endure forever. Take, for instance, the myth that Scotland is a more equal, egalitarian, kind of place than England. It is an idea much-cherished north of the border and a stubbornly persistent one too. Helpfully, it’s also resistant to evidence, allowing Scots to maintain the pretence that, as the late John Smith once (complacently) put it, ‘The Scots are a more moral people‘.

Awkwardly, however, it’s better to be poor in England than in Scotland. At least that’s one conclusion to be drawn from today’s Guardian report on the background of university medical students. While 54 percent of Scottish medical students are from the wealthiest 20 percent of postcodes, just (a relative term, to be sure) 38 percent of English medical students are from similarly advantaged communities.

Moreover, twice as many English students come from the poorest 20 percent of postcodes as is the case in Scotland. True, even in England this only amounts to 8.7