“Poshness is out”: Greater Manchester MPs take their seats in Keir Starmer’s cabinet

Dear readers — there are now more alumni of Parrs Wood High School in East Didsbury than Eton in Keir Starmer’s cabinet, which is already being described as the most diverse cabinet ever. The key figures in the UK government are overwhelmingly state-educated, working class and half represent constituencies in the North. It’s a big change from Rishi Sunak’s cabinet where 63% of ministers were privately educated. We take a look at this below, plus, we recommend a long read about why remote workers are moving North and the best family events as the summer holidays inch closer.

There’s a similar origin story playing out in England’s elite football squad — Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainoo all grew up within a few miles of each other, in Edgeley, Wythenshawe and Cheadle Hulme respectively. The writer RM Clark watched them play from a building in Stockport that was “condemned for demolition just five years prior”, arguing that “it is this entrepreneurial stubbornness that provides a foundation for the next generation of the country’s superstars”. Read the full piece here.

Last week, our team of sleep-deprived reporters published the definitive analysis of the election results after staying up all night at counts across the borough, including Rochdale, where George Galloway lost after a short reign, and Hazel Grove and Cheadle Hulme, where the Lib Dems picked up seats with comfortable margins. We also published a story by the former Guardian journalist David Ward about how the conductor Sir Mark Elder transformed the Hallé Orchestra from a struggling company on the verge of bankruptcy to an internationally-renowned orchestra. 

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🌦️ This week’s weather

The weather will be mild and muggy this week, according to our local weatherman Martin Miles, who also warns about potential thunderstorms tomorrow.

Tuesday 🌧️ Muggy with showery spells of rain and bright spells, and a risk of thunderstorms in the afternoon. 21°C.

Wednesday 🌦️ Breezy and cooler with a mix of bright spells and showers. 19°C.

Thursday 🌧️ Muggy and mostly cloudy with intermittent light rain and drizzle. 19°C.

Friday 🌦️ Mild and mostly cloudy with the odd light shower. 18°C.

Weekend 🌦️ Changeable with showers and sunny spells. Feeling warm during drier periods with temperatures close to average. 

The big story: Greater Manchester at the cabinet table

Top line: After a landslide victory last week, Sir Keir Starmer has begun appointing his cabinet. Some of the most senior offices in the land are now held by people from, and representing, Greater Manchester.

Angela Rayner, who grew up on a council estate in Stockport and represents Ashton-under-Lyne, has become Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. She’s joined at the Cabinet table by Jonathan Reynolds, the new Secretary of State for Business and Trade who grew up in Tyne and Wear (and who represents the neighbouring constituency of Stalybridge and Hyde). 

Eton Manc: “Parrs Wood High School in Didsbury, Manchester, appears to be Labour’s equivalent of Eton”, BBC Economics Editor, Faisal Islam, wrote on X. The school, which was threatened with closure in the 80s, produced two of the new cabinet members:

• Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan, who has been appointed the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

• Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central, is the new Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

Northern takeover: With four MPs, Greater Manchester has the same number of seats at the cabinet table as Greater London. There are another six MPs representing seats in Yorkshire and Humber, and two representing the North East. They include Bridget Phillipson, who was raised by a single mother in a council house in Sunderland with no upstairs heating, and has described her experience receiving free school meals and Education Maintenance Allowance as a defining factor in shaping her views. She’s the new Education Secretary.

As a result, half of all the seats in the cabinet are held by MPs in northern seats. 

Class clash? Many commentators have noticed the emphasis being put on class by Keir Starmer’s top team — which could become a big theme over the next parliament. At a press conference on Saturday, Keir Starmer told reporters: “I said at the cabinet meeting this morning that I am proud of the fact that we have people around that cabinet table who didn’t have the easiest of starts in life.”

According to The Sutton Trust, just 4% of Keir Starmer’s cabinet were privately educated, compared to 63% in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet. 93% were educated at comprehensive schools, making this “the most diverse cabinet” ever recorded, in terms of educational background. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Starmer’s Labour Party have been willing to put forward proposals to end a VAT exemption for private schools.

“Poshness is out”: Could this signal a big change in how politics — and possibly wider society — is run? Writing in The Sunday Times, Will Lloyd says the new cabinet signals “shifts in British society much deeper than just a tenancy change at No 10… Poshness is out: an entire class has been dismissed.”

Our take: There are a lot of things that need fixing in Greater Manchester — we’ve covered many of them in these virtual pages. Having representatives in cabinet who understand them — and have backgrounds more similar to your average GM resident — can only be a good thing.

Your Mill briefing

👮 The Stretford and Urmston Labour MP Andrew Western says his home was attacked with a sledgehammer on Saturday night. Western posted on X: “I am absolutely fine and no-one was hurt but the toxicity in our politics at present must be drawn out.” Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation under Operation Bridger, which was set up to provide MPs with extra security at home and at work after the murder of MP Jo Cox in 2016.

🏡 Stockport Council has launched a review into Stockport Homes, a social housing provider that manages thousands of council houses across the borough but has been criticised for not completing repairs quickly enough. A company spokesperson said Stockport Homes received the lowest number of complaints about repairs compared to other social housing providers in Greater Manchester. “Stockport is quite a politically active area, councillors and the MP are very present, so customers are happy to take issues to them which is probably a positive thing," they said.

🗼 Henley Investment Management has submitted plans to Salford Council for a 70+ storey skyscraper in Regent Retail Park. If approved, it will be Manchester’s tallest, beating Salboy’s proposed Viadux II by just half a metre. 

Home of the week

This four-bedroom cottage is secluded in large gardens, but still only a short walk from Altrincham town centre. You may want to invest in a lawnmower, if you’ve got any change left after paying the £760,000 price tag.

Our favourite reads

A working life: the union official — The Guardian

In 2012, the writer Mark King spent a day in the Unison office in Stockport, where he met a senior steward named Angela Rayner who “challenges and cajoles council leaders at every opportunity, quick to pounce on an issue which might have negative fallout for the workers she represents”. “People underestimate me,” Rayner said at the time. "I'm a pretty young woman, lots of red hair, and everyone expects me to be stupid when I walk into a meeting for the first time. I'm not stupid and most people know that now, but I still like to be underestimated because it gives me an edge. It gives me a bit of stealth."

Why more are making the great move north — The Financial Times

Flexible workers with London salaries are increasingly moving North as property prices rise and cost-of-living pressures increase in the South. Data obtained from Savills estate agency shows that across the Midlands and the North of England, 8% of moves are from the South — in some areas, this figure is as high as 20%. “We have some wonderful friends locally but just feel our quality of life will be far better up north,” says Victoria Watson, who runs a PR company in East Sussex. 

Riots and petrodollars — The Times Literary Supplement

Kicking off around the world by the Catalan writer Ramon Usall asks whether football and politics can ever be separated, looking at the working-class roots of Manchester City and the three South African football clubs set up by Mahatma Ghandi, who “recognized the power of football to raise awareness of racial discrimination and social injustice”, and used games to distribute leaflets on the negative impacts of racial segregation.

Our to do list

Tuesday

🚀 Perfect for the beginning of summer holidays. Jodrell Bank is showing a short animated feature that explores the NASA Apollo 11 trip to the moon, suitable for astronauts of all ages. £5.

🎨 There’s a free workshop at Manchester Art Gallery that includes a tour of the gallery’s exhibitions, the chance to make your own creations and ask others how they see art. Reserve a spot here.

Wednesday

💧 esea contemporary presents Your words flow like water, a new exhibition by the artist Jasmine Gardner that features intricate paper cuttings, designed to mimic the flow of water. It’s free to visit.

🍸 There’s £6 Palomas every Wednesday evening at Exhibition, plus, music from DJ Rev Austin. Book a spot.

Thursday 

🍜 If you’re not shy about posting photos of your food on Instagram, here’s a deal for you. Post a photo of your ramen on Instagram and get a bowl of hot ramen plus an Asahi beer for just £8 at Café Blah in Withington. More here.

🎶 There’s an ambient and experimental gig at Mirage Bar in Islington Mill which features the debut of live musician Frederic’s first EP, Sea of Sorrow Pt 1. £5.

This piece was corrected at 11:21 on the 9th July. Parrs Wood school is in East Didsbury, not West Didsbury as previously stated.