Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) today (24th August) hosted former Secretary of State for Education the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP on the Scottish leg of her national social mobility tour.

July 2018: Bury North MP James Frith visited heat treatment firm Wallwork Group last week as part of Social Mobility Pledge tour celebrating outstanding local businesses.

It was two years ago, on the day of London Pride, that I decided to tell the world I was in a same sex relationship. And I did. I told the world that the person I loved was another woman and, in that moment, became the first openly gay female MP to serve in the Cabinet.

Posh accents and family ties with the boss are the fastest route to the top in Britain’s class-divided workplace. A regional accent and working class background, meanwhile, will keep you out of the best paid jobs and see you miss out on promotions.

The Social Mobility Pledge national roadshow stopped off in the North East today as three local firms signed up to the Pledge. Newcastle fintech firm True Potential was joined by construction company Thompsons of Prudhoe and haulage business Fergusons Transport in committing to the national drive improve social mobility at work.

Department stores John Lewis and Marks and Spencer have been joined by mobile phones giant Vodafone in signing up to the Social Mobility Pledge.

Visit any company in the UK and you will see people working to make more of their lives for themselves and their families. They are there because at some point, someone took a risk and started their own business, which now creates opportunity for others.

Improving our poor social mobility is this country’s biggest challenge, and our biggest opportunity. Britain will not truly succeed until it becomes a country where there is equality of opportunity for the first time.

Talent is evenly spread across the UK, but opportunity isn’t. That is a, frankly, depressing fact and for too long governments of all colours have been unable to rectify it.