Civil service interns must be working class, government says

As part of a movement from ministers to make Whitehall more working class, the government would limit civil service internships to students from poorer families. The main internship program designed to attract university students to the civil service will now only be open to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, judged by what jobs their parents did when they were 14 years old. Many who complete the internship will be considered for admission to the Fast Stream, the main undergraduate program for admission into the civil service.

No young person should be told they are not welcome based solely on leftist social engineering,

Conservative shadow Cabinet Minister Mike Wood said.

Pat McFadden, the Duchy of Lancaster's Chancellor, is responsible for civil service reform, prompted the change.

We need to bring more working class young people into the civil service so that it draws the broadest range of skills and accurately represents the country.

When the government represents and acknowledges the individuals we represent and understands, it makes better decisions. Around a quarter of high-education students are from lower socioeconomic status, but the group accepted only 12% of successful applicants to the Fast Stream in 2024. Any Labour ministers have come to the realization that portions of the civil service are too privileged, especially those from similar backgrounds in their first year in office. A summer internship programme already exists. The scheme is open to undergraduates in their last two years of university, and it can be paid for six to eight weeks. The scheme, which will open to applicants in October with the first cohort opening in summer 2026, will be limited only to students from poorer backgrounds.

Around 200 undergraduates will have experience with civil service careers, including planning activities, writing briefings for ministers, shadowing senior civil servants, and conducting study for policy development. Many who were determined to have performed well will be moved to the final stages of the Fast Stream selection process if they wish to work in the civil service after graduation. According to a survey carried out by pollster firm YouGov in 2024,56%, 36% middle class, and less than 1% as upper class. According to the Social Mobility Commission, an independent body that advises the government on social mobility, a person's parental occupation is the most reliable way to determine someone's class.

The government is also attempting to find more career paths in the civil service outside of London, announcing earlier this year that half of the placements on the Fast Stream will be located outside of the capital. Since being elected in July last year, Labour government has been skeptic about certain aspects of the civil service's work. Sir Keir Starmer said in December that

too many people in Whitehall are content with the tepid bath of managed decline.

Civil service unions are also concerned about this. The prime minister has also stated that he intends to rewire the way the state runs. Mike Wood, the Conservative shadow cabinet minister, said that the UK's public services deserves people chosen on ability.We believe in opportunity based on what you can do, not where you come from,Wood said in a tweet.We all want to see more opportunities for working-class young people. However, this program gives the message that if you don't fit a particular social profile, you are no longer welcome.

No young person should be told they are not accepted solely on leftist social engineering.

The move by Dave Penman, the union's general secretary, who represents senior civil servants, was applauded by the fact that

only 18% of senior civil service employees are from working-class backgrounds. However, he said that

for people from disadvantage backgrounds, even if you do manage to join the civil service, you will not necessarily get on

and that more work is still needs to be done to help working class people transition into senior positions.

We're thrilled by the government's decision to ringfence internship opportunities for students from lower-income backgrounds,

Sarah Atkinson, the founder of the Social Mobility Foundation.

While some companies have already taken action in this direction, it's encouraging to see the government lead by example.

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