Tory austerity wrecked our education system – the term ‘white privilege’ has nothing to do with it

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Today’s Education Select Committee report on the position of white working-class children shows just how ruthless the Tories are prepared to be in pursuance of electoral advantage through divisive “culture wars”. It is a crude and partisan attempt to distract from the effects of the Tory government’s underfunding of education and its failure to address so many of the serious issues in the school system. No serious academic discusses education policy in terms of “white privilege”, and in my view, anyone who believes the problems of working-class children – including those who are white – are caused by too much education about racism needs to reconnect with planet Earth. At the same time, as a recent Tory adviser confirms, this government promotes “culture wars”, which include overt racism, purely for electoral purposes.