Just one in 100 Tory MPs came from a working-class job, new study shows

Just 7% of all MPs can be considered working class, the IPPR says. Photograph: Andy Bailey/PA

Only about 1% of the current crop of Tory MPs entered parliament from a working-class job, according to new research that suggests a growing “representation gap” in parliament.

Just 7% of all MPs can be considered “working class”, compared with 34% of all UK working-age adults. While 13% of Labour MPs joined parliament from a working-class occupation, the proportion has halved since the 1980s.