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As the struggling Conservative party convenes in Manchester for its annual party conference, it has a lot to reflect on regarding its path forward. It’s not even clear if a road forward exists at all. These are difficult days for a political party that now has almost nothing, if anything, fresh or distinctive to say to voters.

The Missed Opportunity

Things could have turned out markedly improved if tangible progress had been made on an policy focus that is important for people throughout the UK: Levelling up. However Boris Johnson’s government did not possess the basic understanding on how to convert the trendy talk on levelling up into policy reality. Over twenty-four months after the 2019 election, it argued over what the phrase actually signified.

It seemed strange to me, because I had clearly defined for Johnson what levelling up meant when we first spoke about it during the contest for party leader. The phrase was a concept I originated and used at the Department for Education to talk about social mobility. It served as our core mission, and its meaning is straightforward: social mobility is the approach by which we realize equality of opportunity – not through reducing chances away from those who already have it, but rather by extending chances to those that lack them.

Fundamental Idea

Another crucial ministry expression we used, “ability is distributed uniformly throughout the nation, yet chances are not”, again was a purposeful phrase, representing the dual components of a fairness agenda. First, ability distributed uniformly but not cultivated evenly through our learning institutions. Additionally, chances not distributed fairly by employers or our market. Thus, schools and companies were essential to achieving better life chances. This constituted an priority about the community framework of our country – fostering people’s potential and linking them with prospects.

What Levelling Up Became

What did levelling up turn into under Johnson’s Conservatives? A towns fund overseen from the the relevant ministry. Street beautification and reconfigured roundabouts and roads. A white paper was launched a significant period after Johnson became leader, which saw current strategies rebadged under the fresh social mobility slogan.

Therefore, a wider fairness strategy went unpursued, as well as all the reform that it may have generated – in investment, commerce, financial planning, revenue and in place-making. And, of course, in schooling, including a tertiary education that has become a target for elected officials – although it remains the strongest driver of upward movement for individuals from less privileged homes, including myself, this country has had over the past 30 years. Maybe the only engine of fair chances, working extensively.

Why Hope Matters

Ambition is vital for our country to thrive. For people to have aspiration, there needs to be a believable feeling that hard work and results are related; that if people aspire, they can achieve. For any government, being able to create a outlook of positivity about the tomorrow is critical. Studies by the Institute for Policy Research at the academic establishment and others, recently released, showed that the ministry’s focus zones I introduced as education secretary – locally targeted strategies to enhancing learning results – led to students in those communities being up to nearly one-fifth more positive about their life ahead than those in equivalent locations without these initiatives in place. The data shows: just making an authentic start on equal chance initiatives can quickly and positively change how people view their prospects.

Missed Opportunities

Oblivious to this, and in the throes of its successor selection process, in autumn 2022, the Conservative government terminated the programmes. Why would anyone in those communities vote for a party that made that decision? This specific initiative is a clear case of what could have been a game-changing Tory policy platform on social mobility, but that opportunity was completely wasted. Strategies such as this can inspire hope and aspiration. On the other hand, as the Conservatives found out, breaking the promise of equal opportunity is the biggest blunder any political party can make. The electorate held accountable the government for its failure but, primarily, for its unfulfilled commitments on levelling up.

Today’s Political Reality

Currently the mandate on equal opportunity and equal chances has been taken up by a opposition party. The old slogan has been cast off. Labour has its own public messaging of “eliminating hurdles to advancement”. The organization that is gradually replacing the struggling Tories, the challenger, also has its own message – “reindustrialisation”. It’s a phrase to talk about additional chances in areas like the one I was raised in, in my hometown. It suggests that an former economic strength can revive into an industrial future.

To the electorate, it must appear as a repetitive cycle. Similar challenge, different language. However, so far, no progress.

Lessons for the Future

If Labour and Reform UK want to prevent the similar destiny, the respective organizations should take lessons from the previous government’s errors on levelling up; that social mobility rhetoric is simple terminology, but successful delivery of fairer outcomes is significantly more difficult. Britain’s persistently low equal opportunity remains the primary challenge for our country, with young people unable to get a good job beginning, those putting in effort in occupations with minimal progress after the rent has been paid, and citizens throughout the UK without any real hope their next generation will be able to do improve in life than they have.

Politicians can mention equal chances however much they like. Yet where is the party that has the thorough strategy on equal opportunity? None appear to exist. The first to achieve this, succeeds. Not only for their party, but, more importantly, for a whole country that has never needed fair chances so desperately.