Andy Burnham has appointed a Cabinet with the highest proportion of ministers educated at Oxford or Cambridge universities in recent history, according to an analysis of the new government team’s educational backgrounds. Of the 28 Cabinet ministers appointed by Burnham, 17—representing 61 percent—attended either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge. This surpasses the shares seen under previous prime ministers this century, including Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, and Rishi Sunak.
The analysis further shows Burnham’s Cabinet features a notably higher representation of Oxbridge graduates compared to the most recent Labour administration under Sir Keir Starmer, where 36 percent of ministers attended those universities. In contrast, Truss’s Cabinet included 35 percent Oxbridge-educated ministers, Johnson’s had 45 percent, and Sunak’s peaked at 53 percent.
Despite the strong presence of Oxbridge alumni, Burnham’s Cabinet includes a relatively lower proportion of privately educated ministers, with seven out of 28 holding private school backgrounds, or about 25 percent. Many ministerial Oxbridge graduates came from state school environments, having attended comprehensive schools before entering the universities. Examples include Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who attended Haverstock Comprehensive School; Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who was educated at Small Heath School; and Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, who went to a Westminster state school. Burnham himself attended a Catholic state school in Ormskirk before matriculating to Cambridge.
In terms of gender representation, Burnham’s Cabinet marks a record number of women, with 12 of 23 full members being female, making this the first Cabinet where women outnumber men among full members. This is a rise from the previous Labour Cabinet under Starmer, which had 10 women and 13 men. However, there has been a decline in female representation in the most senior roles — only one of the top four posts (prime minister, chancellor, foreign secretary, and home secretary) is held by a woman, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. This contrasts with Starmer’s final Cabinet, where three of those positions were held by women.
Ethnic diversity in Burnham’s Cabinet remains limited relative to some earlier governments. Three of the 28 ministers are non-white: Home Secretary Mahmood, Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, and AI Minister Kanishka Narayan. While this is an increase from two non-white ministers in the previous Cabinet, it falls short of the higher levels seen in early 2020s Cabinets under Conservative administrations such as Sunak’s first, which included five non-white ministers, and Truss’s Cabinet with seven.
Geographically, the Cabinet includes a greater proportion of members representing constituencies in northern England, with 13 ministers from this region compared to 10 in the prior Labour government. This reflects Burnham’s longstanding political focus on northern communities, aligning with his pledge to challenge Westminster-centric elitism.
Critics of the Cabinet’s composition argue the dominance of Oxbridge graduates may limit diversity of experience within the government’s highest ranks. Supporters point to the relatively low rate of privately educated ministers and the sizeable presence of those from state school backgrounds as indicators of social mobility and broader opportunity within Burnham’s Cabinet.