Attacks on Angela Rayner for buying a second home are not just another episode in political point-scoring—they’re a telling sign of how far we still have to go in promoting genuine social mobility and ambition in the UK. It’s backward, and it distracts from the real work needed to lift those who face barriers because of where they come from or the circumstances they inherit.
Angela Rayner’s story—rising from a working-class background to Deputy Prime Minister—is, on its face, exactly the kind of journey society should champion, not sneer at. Instead, her aspiration and achievement are often weaponised against her, as if the very act of “making it” somehow betrays her roots or the people she represents. This attitude actively undermines the kind of hope we try to foster in young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
At Aspire Liverpool, the day-to-day challenge is clear: supporting students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to believe that places at Oxford, Cambridge, and other top universities are not just for “other people”—they’re within their reach. Every extra application to Oxbridge from Liverpool, every student we help over the line, is a small rebellion against the class ceiling that’s kept so many down for so long. We know these students are just as bright as their peers elsewhere; it’s the societal barriers and outdated attitudes that get in their way.
If our response to someone buying a better home or achieving something extraordinary is to tear them down, what message does that send to the next generation dreaming big? Criticising Rayner for acquiring a second home—as though working-class people must know their place and never strive for more—is the antithesis of progress. These attacks discourage hard work, reinforce barriers, and play into the hands of those who have always believed opportunity is not for all.
If we are ever to break the class ceiling, we need a culture of lifting society up—removing obstacles, broadening horizons, and celebrating aspiration in all its forms. That means standing with, not against, those who have climbed the ladder. It means championing the journeys of students in Liverpool who aim for Oxbridge, supporting politicians like Angela Rayner for proving social mobility can be real, and never mistaking ambition for hypocrisy unless there is genuine wrongdoing.
Social mobility won’t thrive in a culture that punishes aspiration. Let’s make sure the doors we open for students through Aspire Liverpool aren’t just token gestures, but part of a louder, national conversation that celebrates—and never resents—success stories from all walks of life.
Harry Doyle 