Britain’s new Cabinet shifts north, but Oxbridge influence grows

According to the Sutton Trust’s 2026 Cabinet analysis, 54% of ministers in Burnham’s Cabinet attended one of the two universities, collectively known as Oxbridge.

That is a substantial increase from 38% in Keir Starmer’s first Cabinet and is particularly striking given that Oxford and Cambridge graduates account for less than 1% of the UK population.

The figures reveal an apparent paradox. Burnham’s Cabinet is largely state-educated and more geographically northern, but at university level it is more concentrated around the country’s two most prestigious institutions.

From state schools to elite universities

The Sutton Trust found that 75% of Cabinet members attended state comprehensive schools, while 21% were privately educated. Secondary school information for one Cabinet member was not publicly available.

Although private-school graduates remain overrepresented, their share is far below the levels seen in some previous British governments. Nevertheless, it has increased from 8% in Starmer’s first Cabinet, which the Sutton Trust described as the most comprehensively educated Cabinet on record.

The contrast between school and university backgrounds is important. A minister may have attended an ordinary state school before progressing to Oxford or Cambridge. Consequently, the high proportion of Oxbridge graduates does not necessarily mean that the Cabinet is dominated by people who followed the traditional route from private school to an elite university.

Earlier research identified this pattern across other influential professions. The Sutton Trust and the UK Social Mobility Commission found in 2019 that Oxbridge graduates accounted for around a quarter of the country’s leading figures. The research described private school followed by Oxford or Cambridge as the most common educational pathway into Britain’s elite, accounting for 17% of people in top positions.

By comparison, only 6% of leading figures had followed the path from a comprehensive school to Oxbridge.

Cabinet’s educational background shifts north

Burnham’s Cabinet also represents a geographical change. Some 43% of its members attended schools in the North of England, compared with 31% in Starmer’s Cabinet and 19% under former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Meanwhile, 32% were educated in London and South East England. The figure stood at 27% under Starmer and 35% under Sunak.

The shift is consistent with Burnham’s emphasis on greater regional representation. Before becoming prime minister, he served as mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026.

Burnham attended St Aelred’s Catholic High School in the North West before graduating from the University of Cambridge. He is the first Cambridge graduate to become British prime minister since Stanley Baldwin. Before Burnham took office, every UK prime minister over the previous 90 years who had attended a university in England had studied at Oxford.

Several senior members of the new government also attended comprehensive schools outside London. Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey was educated in Yorkshire, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner in the North West and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in the North East.

Why does Oxbridge remain so prominent?

The figures do not show that attending Oxford or Cambridge directly leads to high political office. Cabinet appointments are shaped by political experience, standing within the party and the prime minister’s priorities.

Nevertheless, the continued overrepresentation of Oxbridge graduates suggests that the two universities retain a distinctive place in British public life. Earlier research by the Sutton Trust and the UK Social Mobility Commission identified Oxford and Cambridge as part of a prominent educational pathway into Britain’s elite, including politics, the civil service, law and the media.

However, the 2026 Cabinet analysis examines ministers’ educational backgrounds rather than whether university networks influenced their careers or appointments.

The presence of state-school graduates among Oxbridge-educated ministers also complicates the traditional picture of Britain’s elite. The distinction is no longer based solely on private versus state education. Another important question is whether people from different social and regional backgrounds can gain access to universities whose graduates remain disproportionately represented in positions of influence.

Burnham’s Cabinet reflects both change and continuity. Some 75% of its members attended comprehensive schools, while 43% were educated in the North of England, a higher proportion than under Starmer or Sunak. At the same time, more than half attended Oxford or Cambridge.

The result is a Cabinet that has a stronger northern educational profile but is more concentrated around Oxbridge at university level. This suggests that the educational backgrounds represented at the highest level of government are changing, while access to Cabinet remains closely associated with a small group of universities.

Burnham became prime minister on July 20, four days after being elected leader of the Labour Party. His Cabinet includes John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary, Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary and Yvette Cooper as Health Secretary.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the University of Oxford’s first dedicated center for Korean studies will begin operating in October 2026.