Credit: GettyTRAIN drivers have been labeled as "working class" by Labour ministers, despite earning an £80,000 salary.
The government acknowledged yesterday that a program restricting civil service internships to young individuals from "low socio-economic backgrounds" will include the offspring of well-paid train staff.
However, the children of individuals earning less than some train drivers will not be eligible to apply, as they are considered "middle class" by Labour.
These classifications come in the wake of an agreement made last month by the militant Transport for London, which will see Tube drivers in London earning nearly £80,000 by 2027.
A similar arrangement has been made with LNER.
Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart criticized ministers for excluding Brits from the civil service program based on their social class.
He described the initiative as “incoherent, unfair, and arbitrary.”
Mr. Burghart stated: “Children of working-class individuals face active discrimination in public life due to their parents’ occupations.”
Mike Wood, the shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, remarked: “Keir Starmer has been caught in his own trap.
“His vindictive campaign against middle England has revealed that he has never truly been working class.
“Labour’s hypocritical tax increases are burdening working individuals across the nation, regardless of the dubious classifications Labour concocts to justify further tax hikes.”
Ministers introduced the scheme in August, describing it as an effort to enhance diversity and ensure that Whitehall more accurately represents the country.
Eligibility will be determined based on the occupation of an applicant’s parents when they were 14 years old.
When announcing the initiative in August, the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster stated: “We need to bring more working-class young people into the Civil Service so it can draw from the broadest range of talent and truly represent the country.”
Labour classifies high-earning train drivers as ‘working class’ while including their children in the civil service internship programCredit: Getty
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new government scheme for civil service internships?
The scheme aims to boost diversity by limiting civil service internships to young people from low socio-economic backgrounds, including the children of high-earning train drivers.
Why are some children excluded from the internship program?
Children of individuals earning less than certain train drivers are excluded because they are classified as "middle class" by Labour, despite their parents' lower incomes.
What has been the response to the scheme?
Critics, including Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart, have condemned the scheme as discriminatory and arbitrary, claiming it unfairly targets working-class families.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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