Is Britain missing out on ‘bags of talent’ – new podcast episode with Justine Greening, former Secretary of State for Education.

In the latest episode of the Social Mobility Talks podcast, Ryan Henson, Social Mobility Commission Commissioner, speaks to Justine Greening.

Justine is a former Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities and the Founder and Chair of The Purpose Coalition, a coalition of organisations that are committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and boosting social mobility.

 

Justine speaks about her experiences of being sat around the Cabinet table and why Britain needs more people from backgrounds like hers to follow in her footsteps/

Ryan and Justine also cover, why there can be no one size fits all approach to social mobility, how business can be a force for good in improving outcome and what AI means for the future of education and skills.

Speaking on the podcast Justine said:

We’re missing out on bags of talent that could have been sat around the cabinet table with many doing a brilliant, brilliant job … And I think part of this is raising expectations of what we can all do with our lives

You can watch the latest podcast on YouTube or listen on Spotify  or Apple.

Related content

Picture of graduates

Disadvantaged students miss out on top universities – despite getting the grades

news 10 Aug 2026

New rankings from the Social Mobility Commission show nearly one third of English universities are underrepresenting students of a lower socio-economic background – even when they meet the entry requirements…. read more

Topics

Picture of graduates

Who gets in? University benchmarks for social mobility

publication 10 Aug 2026

While academic attainment plays a fundamental role in access to higher education, even when comparing university student intakes to those who have already met the entry requirements, socio-economic representation still… read more

Topics

Lord David Blunkett headshot

Lord Blunkett: “We must not patronise and paternalise”

news 22 Jul 2026

At this year’s Social Mobility Commission Symposium, the Rt Hon Lord David Blunkett gave a keynote address on how society and the state must work alongside young people to support… read more

Topics

Back to top keyboard_arrow_up