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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Ben Quinn and Peter Walker

UK social mobility watchdog could be axed as ministers plan shake-up

SMC Bridget Phillipson Burnham Poverty
Bridget Phillipson arrives in Downing Street to attend a Cabinet meeting. She is wearing a fuchsia jacket and carrying a red folder
Bridget Phillipson, the equalities minister, is reportedly one of the Labour figures who is keen to disband the SMC. Photograph: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Ministers are considering a shake-up of the government’s social mobility watchdog that could range from giving it more teeth to abolishing it outright.

The move comes amid concerns that the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) – originally conceived under Gordon Brown’s government in 2010 – has become ineffective.

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